Sedona AZ (July 5, 2016) – The Inspiration of Sedona will host performance artist and mask maker Pash Galbavy in a free presentation of
Seeing Wetiko, at 6:30pm, on July 14th, at the Church of the Red Rocks, 54 Bowstring Dr., Sedona. Pash and photographer Larry Pollock were the recent recipients of a grant given by The Rules, to create masks, photos and text related to the subject of “Wetiko.” This performance is a culmination of that project, which can soon be seen online at
therules.org.
”Wetiko” (aka “Wendigo” or “Windigo”) is an Algonquin word that describes a cannibalistic spirit or disease that eventually destroys itself by consuming everything that keeps itself alive. Before this occurs, it fully convinces itself and others that it’s consumptive habits are logical and morally correct. One who fully embodies the spirit is called a wetiko. One who demonstrates aspects of it is considered to be infected with wetiko. In Paul Levy’s seminal book about our collective psychosis,
Dispelling Wetiko, he defines the word as “malignant egophrenia.”
The Rules is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Washington that is comprised of a global network of activists, organizers, designers, researchers and writers dedicated to changing the rules that create inequality and poverty. The Rules’ Seeing Wetiko project is currently underway as an online “starburst” that is meant to help raise awareness worldwide about the problem of, and issues created by, the energy of wetiko that seems to have taken over and is destroying our planet. Seeing Wetiko is meant to help raise awareness about how to identify this “virus” and to share ideas about what can be done to defend and protect against it. Eight proposals were accepted from artists all over the world for ways to personally show aspects of this spirit.
Pash says: “This project perfectly marries the personal internal and the social/environmental external. It entwines these seemingly disparate pieces in ways I’ve been working on with masks for many years. I’m especially looking forward to the discussion afterward the presentation to talk about how we can work together to allay this personal and collective bug.”
In her presentation, Pash will use improvisation, storytelling, movement, dance, mask-art, myth, and personal and collective healing ritual to explore internal and external problems and solutions related to wetiko, the climate, and personal and social change. The presentation will be an ever-evolving culmination for Pash of close to 20 years of experimentation with masks and movement. She has created several new masks for this project and will embody various archetypes—such as Wetiko, Insight, and the Mystic —by telling stories, wearing the masks, and improvising the voice and movements of each archetypal character to show wetiko and to suggest what can be done about it. A discussion will follow the presentation.
Pash is an expressive artist, contact improvisational dancer, author, and artists’ model. She has an MA in Communication Studies and is the recipient of numerous artist grants including several from the Arizona Commission of the Arts, and two from the City of Sedona. She has performed at numerous festivals, and public and private events in the US and Australia.
The Inspiration of Sedona meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. It is an open meeting group, that strives to work together collectively for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, and the world. Its current format involves showing inspiring and personally empowering documentaries about the social and environmental issues we’re collectively facing, followed by interactive discussion.
Please be a part of the inspiration in Seeing Wetiko by joining us for this moving and provocative, free presentation with Pash Galbavy on Thursday, July 14th, at 6:30 PM, downstairs at the Church of the Red Rocks, For more info:
email: info@inspirationofsedona.org
Website: www.inspirationofsedona.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspirationofsedona 928-284-4021
The Inspiration of Sedona meets in the basement at the Church of the Red Rocks, 54 Bowstring Drive, Sedona. (Turn onto Bowstring Drive, and then turn right at the first driveway, and park in the small parking lot opposite the double doors to the basement, or in the upper parking lot if full.)
This is an advertisement
