Imagining America National Gathering
Tulane University
New Orleans . Louisiana
Imagining America (IA) consortium hosts an annual gathering that revolves around a theme that addresses pressing issues. The 2022 theme “Rituals of Repair and Renewal” invites participants to engage in joyful celebration of being together. The 3 day immersive event will set the stage for participants to enact rituals of reflection, repair, renewal, wellness, and imagination.
The IA steering committee has selected my proposed collective ritual as part of this year’s national gathering. The work, titled “Meditative Shit: A Collective Ritual to Heal, Repair, Mend”, hopes to create a safe space for POC folks where we can talk about what we do with all the shit we carry. I will begin with a personal story to contextualize our gathering followed by a facilitated writing exercise that guides participants back to a time and place of a shitty oppressive situation. Our collective text will be burnt into an alms bowl filled with water collected from the Mississippi River. The ash water from a hand-crafted alms bowl will be used to water a tree that anchors our shared space.
My work draws strengths from my ancestors and cultural roots as ways to heal, repair and mend through rituals. The collective performance invites participants to consider and reflect on their ancestral ways of doing tings and how to channel them into navigational tools for our complex and challenging world.
Special shoutout to Amy Westphal whose blacksmithing badassery has made hand-crafting an alms bowl possible. Thank you!
Gathering Date: Friday 14 Oct – Sunday 16 Oct 2022
Location: Tulane University
IA Gathering General Information: Link
“Meditative Shit: A Collective Ritual to Heal, Repair, Mend”
Collective Ritual Date/Time: Friday 14Oct . Concurrent Sessions 3 . 330p-5p
Nuttaphol Ma
Location: Tulane University
秉宏 