Summer Solstice Festival with Healing Sound Bath

Image: Guadalupe Maravilla’s healing sound bath for cancer; 2021; Courtesy the Artist and PPOW, New York; Photo by Mx Oops.

Sunday, June 20 * •  2–9pm  •  In-Person at the Park  •  Free**

*Weather permitting
**Pre-registration required for the healing sound bath

About

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year! Come celebrate this natural phenomenon – and Fathers’ Day – at the Park with live performances, art, and ceremony while watching the sunset over the East river and Manhattan skyline.

Be sure to also stop by the our neighbor, Chateau le Woof Cafe, to purchase a special solstice lemonade and mini-picnic snack basket to enjoy in the Park!

2–4pm: Tripa Chuca Drawing Activity

Learn to play the Salvadoran drawing game Tripa Chuca with Educator Jeannette Rodriguez Píneda! Players will draw directly onto the surface of the Park’s wooden stage using broad-tip paint pens – creating a large-scale, permanent, and collaborative artwork. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

This activity was inspired by artist Guadalupe Maravilla‘s ‘Tripa Chuca‘ artwork for his ‘Planeta Abuelx‘ exhibition at the Park! Maravilla’s ‘Tripa Chuca’ at Socrates is his largest to date, and also the first he intended to be ephemeral – having painted directly onto the Park’s lawn with environmentally-friendly water-soluble paint that fades over time into memory. Watch an aerial time-lapse of Maravilla’s process below.

Video by KMDeco Creative Solutions: Mark DiConzo.

4–5pm: Batalá New York

Get ready to dance to the joyous rhythms of Batalá New York – an all women, Black-led, Afrocentric drumming ensemble!

About Batalá New York

Batalá New York performing at Socrates’ 2016 Summer Solstice Festival, Photo by Mark Igbinadolor.

Batalá New York is part of a global arts project of over thirty bands playing Afro-Brazilian music with percussive instruments and costumes hailing from Salvador de Bahia, in northeast Brazil. Batalá NYC plays the compositions and arrangements of their founder, Mestre Giba Gonçalves, as well as the compositions of other mestres. The band’s music includes rhythms heard throughout the African diaspora and pays homage to traditional Afro-Brazilian music and spirituality. Their performances, with colorful costumes and dynamic choreography, are a high energy, joyful percussive experience.

5–6pm: Cetiliztli Nauhcampa]

Gather round for a special solstice ritual in the Anahuac (Aztec/Mexican) tradition led by Indigenous group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa.

About Cetiliztli Nauhcampa

Cetiliztli Nauhcampa at the 2019 Summer Solstice Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park, Image by Rafael Fondeur.

Cetiliztli Nauhcampa Quetzalcoatl in Ixachitlan was formed in 1999 from individuals from the four directions of the continent. Most of its members hail from Mexico, South America, the Caribbean as well as the US. They are an indigenous group that offers ceremonial performances and workshops through dances and songs from the Anahuac tradition. The group is cultural, spiritual, artistic, political and educational.  They are an open circle formed by families and individuals from the indigenous community that now reside in New York City.

Cetiliztli Nauhcampa Quetzalcoatl in Ixachitlan se formó en 1999 por gente proveniente de las cuatro direcciones del continente. La mayoría de sus miembros vienen de México y algunos son de Centro y Sud América, el Caribe y también de los Estados Unidos. Es un grupo espiritual, cultural, artístico, político y educativo. Cetiliztli es un círculo abierto formado por familias e individuos de la comunidad indígena que radican en la zona metropolitana de Nueva York.

7:30–8:30: Healing Sound Bath*

*Pre-registration required

About

As part of his ‘Planeta Abuelx‘ solo exhibition at the Park, artist Guadalupe Maravilla has been offering a series of communal healing sound baths – including this one at sunset on the summer solstice!

Maravilla discovered the therapeutic qualities of sound baths during his own treatment for colon cancer. Now as a cancer survivor, he regularly offers healing sound baths to communities in need as a form of mutual aid.  “Human bodies are over 70% water, and the vibration of the gongs can help balance emotional, psychological, and in some cases physical pain,” he explains.

To create a sound bath, the artist and trained sound healers play gongs and other percussive implements in hypnotic sequences that create an immersive soundscape. The sound bath takes place around Maravilla’s ‘Disease Throwers (#13 & #14) Installation,’ which includes a fire pit that is lit during the ceremony.

Healing Sound Bath Guidelines

–The healing sound bath takes place outdoors so please check the weather forecast and prepare/dress accordingly. Also plan to bring your own drinking water as the Park’s public fountain is currently switched off for quality testing purposes.

–Healing sound bath participants should bring their own yoga mat, blanket, or towel to lie on or chair to sit on. The Park has a limited supply of yoga mats and chairs that will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you need an accommodation, please contact the Park at least 48 hours in advance at rsvp@socratessculpturepark.org.

–Pre-registered healing sound bath participants should plan to arrive at least half an hour before the start of the program or risk forfeiting their ticket. Please be prepared to show your ticket on your phone or bring a print-out of your ticket. Fifteen minutes before the program begins, remaining spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. No one will be admitted after the program begins.

–Upon entering the Park, look for a check-in tent where Socrates staff-members will take your ticket and direct you to the healing sound bath.

–Please choose a place to sit or lie down that is at least six feet away from other attendees. If you are participating with one or more person that you do not need to social distance from, you are welcome to gather together with less than six feet of separation between each person.

–Once the program begins, sound bath participants must remain quietly seated or laying down for the full duration of the healing sound bath.

–Pictures and videos are allowed, but please do not use your phone for any other purpose as that is disrespectful to the artist and the other attendees.

–If you were not able to register but would like to attend, please line-up near the check-in table and you will be admitted fifteen minutes before the program begins.

–The northern half of the Park is reserved for sound healers and participants during the sound baths. If you are in the Park while a sound bath is taking place, please keep noise at a minimum. You are welcome to observe the sound bath from a respectful distance.

Register Now

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