Symbiosis Gathering

Last updated

Symbiosis Gathering is an expressive arts, music, and community event based on transformational development, [1] notable for its international festival collaborations [2] [3] [4] [5] and lack of corporate sponsorship. [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

International collaborative partners include Rainbow Serpent in Australia, Mother in Japan, and Glade Festival in England. [10] [11] Symbiosis Gathering has been called an "adult-Disneyland", [12] Neverland, [6] and compared to Burning Man, [7] [13] [14] [15] Lightning in a Bottle, [16] Boom Festival, and Rainbow Serpent Festival. [17]

The 2017 Symbiosis Gathering in Oregon was aligned with the total solar eclipse on August 21, garnering attention as "the most transcendental event in the known universe". [18] [19]

History

Symbiosis Gathering was first held at Cutter Scout Camp near the Santa Cruz mountains in 2005, for a crowd of around 800 people and it grew to over 15,000 for the 10 year anniversary in September 2015. [20] The Gathering has been held in a variety of locations including Angels Camp in 2006 and 2007, [4] Camp Mather near Yosemite National Park [21] in 2009, at Pyramid Lake during an annular solar eclipse in May 2012, [22] [23] and Woodward Reservoir in Oakdale, CA. [24] [25] [26] From 2013 to 2016, Symbiosis Gathering was held on the 2900-acre Woodward Reservoir and has been called the "MVP", [12] a "true gem" [14] and "the most unique aspect". [27] The event is held on a "five-nubbed" peninsula [8] and has open swimming throughout the weekend. The festival also boasts the most evolved demonstration of Art Boats, [15] [28] which has likely come from the influence of nearby DIY events Burning Man and Maker Faire. Called the "jewel of Symbiosis' production" was the "Swimbiosis" stage which saw the sound system pointed out on the water where the dancefloor extended to thousands of people on rafts, makeshift boats, and swimming in the reservoir. [28]

2017 total solar eclipse

The 2017 edition was aligned with the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 which was the first total solar eclipse seen in the continental U.S. since 1979. The festival was a collaboration between numerous international producers [29] including Bass Coast (CAN), Beloved (US), Envision Festival (CR), Hadra (FR), Noisily (UK), Ometeotl (MX), Origin Festival (SA), Rainbow Serpent (AUS), Re:Birth (JPN), Sonic Bloom (US), and Universo Parallelo (BR). [30] The event was held with seven music stages [31] and over 40 different areas of workshops, large art sculptures, and other displays, which was planned for over 30,000 people. [32] Oregon Eclipse offered a special ticket exclusively for purchase with digital currency such as Bitcoin. [33]

Ethos

The mission statement of Symbiosis declares that the Gathering is a music, art, and conscious lifestyle event and has consistent messaging about community. [34] [35] [36] There are strong participatory elements [37] in many aspects including participants bringing their own art, live painting [14] both on and off stage, and installations that one can touch and climb. [8] Co-founder Bosque Hrbek calls Symbiosis a "collaborative experiment" and prefers the description of an "international gathering" [34] as staff includes teams of people who also work on international events such as Rainbow Serpent Festival, Boom Festival, and Brazil's Universo Paralello among others. [6] The producers calling the event a Gathering rather than a festival [9] with the intention that the true value of the event is in people coming together. The theme to the 2016 edition is Family Tree, where families are encouraged to bring children [15] to participate in a kids village throughout the event. [9] [38]

Symbiosis is known for "embodying an ethos of creativity, sustainability and experimentation through its vibrant art installations, esoteric lineup and infectious vibes" [28] as well as having a lineup of live and electronic, downtempo, trance, and world music as well as permaculture, [4] sustainability, [35] [39] kirtan, and yoga [40] workshops. [14] [41] Symbiosis Gathering includes an ecological component [7] [42] that encourages sustainable lifestyle choices and to leave places in better condition than when they arrived. [43] Symbiosis has hosted multi-day immersives in 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2016 [39] [44] focusing on sustainability, yoga, visionary art, permaculture, and indigenous wisdom. [45] The producers have positioned three events to coincide with solar eclipses, including the event in Oregon during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. [35]

Many performance troupes can be found integrated with the programming including the producers of the Edwardian Ball, Bay Area's Vau de Vire Society, and Lucent Dossier Experience, among others. Organizers have no screens or projections [15] [3] at the event instead relying on lighting and structure for ambience [9] to create more participating and less observing. The event has no corporate sponsorship, [6] [7] [8] [9] an aspect which is shared by only Burning Man in gatherings of substantial size.

Music

The music selection of Symbiosis has been called eclectic, [46] diverse, quirky, [7] obscure, [41] and underground [12] [8] including live bands such as CocoRosie, Les Claypool, and STS9 among others. The lineup also has an electronic bent with techno and house, with psytrance, downtempo, dubstep, [28] as well as more analog gypsy and quirky performances. The 2015 edition was lauded to have "acoustic based musicians, female musicians, butoh artists, and many other cutting edge experimental visual and sonic performance artist that are breaking ground" [47] at the time. Symbiosis also has a number of US debuts, unannounced, [15] and surprise performances [37] [48] including edIT and Ooah from The Glitch Mob performing as "Crying over Porcelain for No Reason" which to date had only happened in '09 and '15 both at Symbiosis Gathering.

Art

The art of Symbiosis has been called trippy, [49] otherworldly, [9] mind-blowing [12] and lauded by many as an essential aspect of the experience. Structures that have been erected at Burning Man [14] have often found their way to Symbiosis due to the relative proximity of time and location between the two events. [28] Sculpture and installation artists such as Gerard Minakawa of Bamboo DNA, [50] Michael Christian, [51] Hybycozo, [52] Shrine, [53] [48] and Bryan Tedrick [54] are a few of the artists who have built major installations at the events. The stages are also built more as artistic creations than truss structures to hold rock bands. Each stage is created to have its own unique aesthetic which leads to numerous different environments throughout the festival. [28]

Workshops

Symbiosis Gathering includes a significant educational and betterment of self component with workshops and presentations of all sorts. [46] Past speakers include Vandana Shiva, [55] Democracy Now! Amy Goodman, [14] actor/poet/activist Saul Williams, culture jamming activists The Yes Men, [36] and The Tao of Physics author Fritjof Capra among others. Symbiosis takes an eco-friendly approach in its offerings [42] by not selling plastic water bottles and bags, and instead sells only reusable and recyclable products. [56] In 2007 they started a dishwashing program that significantly reduced waste. [57]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Man</span> Annual experimental festival based in Nevada, United States

Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the western United States. The event's name comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night, the Saturday evening before Labor Day. Since 1990, the event has been at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada, a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno. According to Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey in 2004, the event is guided by ten stated principles: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.

ConFest is an alternative bush campout festival held in the south-eastern states of Australia annually during and around Easter. The name 'ConFest' is a concatenation of the words Conference and Festival. ConFest was initiated in 1976, and organised by the former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Dr. Jim Cairns, his private secretary Junie Morosi and David Ditchburn. It was and is intended to bring together the various subcultures of the alternative movement, and was billed as "An Exploration of Alternatives".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nowhere (event)</span>

Nowhere is a Burning Man regional event in Spain, the biggest such regional event in Europe. It began in 2004 and is held annually in July in the Monegros Desert, located in Aragon in north-eastern Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Gathering</span>

The Green Gathering, formerly known as the Big Green Gathering is a festival with an environmental and social justice focus, including workshops and talks on permaculture, politics, ecology and crafts, as well as art, live music and spoken word performances. The first Big Green Gathering was held in 1994 and the festival is currently held in Chepstow, Monmouthshire although it has previously been held in various locations in Somerset and Wiltshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017</span> Total eclipse visible from the mainland US

The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed the "Great American Eclipse" by some media, was a total solar eclipse visible within a band that spanned the contiguous United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. It was also visible as a partial solar eclipse from as far north as Nunavut in northern Canada to as far south as northern South America. In northwestern Europe and Africa, it was partially visible in the late evening. In northeastern Asia, it was partially visible at sunrise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow Spirit Festival</span> Arts, music and lifestyle festival in Victoria, Australia

Rainbow Spirit Festival, previously known as Rainbow Serpent Festival, is a four-day annual open-air music and arts festival that takes place during the Australia Day long weekend, in Lexton, Victoria, 160 kilometres (99 mi) west of Melbourne, Australia. The festival is mainly known for its focus on electronic music, with psychedelic trance, minimal techno, and chill-out music on its main stage, but it now features music across many genres, many art installations, workshops, and other attractions such as market stalls, healing arts and multi-cultural foods. Approximately 12,000 people attend the festival each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boom Festival</span> Biennial transformational festival in Portugal

The Boom Festival is a International transformational Festival in Idanha-a-Nova Portugal. One of the Most Multidisciplinary, Psychedelic, sustainable Music festivals in the World. Boom Festival is the biggest Event in Europe that every two years Editions are in sync with the full moon. The only exception being Boom 2023 which is also the first ever consecutive edition, taking place during waxing crescent moon and with the theme "Radical Love".

Eclipse Festival is an electronic music festival held in Quebec, Canada during the summer. Biennial, this festival is a weekend-long international gathering of visual and musical art. It features a symbiosis of dance, open philosophies, performance art, human experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozora Festival</span> Hungarian arts festival

The Ozora Festival, stylised as O.Z.O.R.A., is an annual transformational festival and arts festival near the Hungarian village of Ozora.

A transformational festival is a counterculture festival that espouses a community-building ethic, and a value system that celebrates life, personal growth, social responsibility, healthy living, and creative expression. Transformational alludes both to personal transformation (self-realization) and steering the transformation of culture toward sustainability. Some transformational festivals resemble music festivals, but are distinguished by such features as seminars, classes, drum circles, ceremonies, installation art, the availability of whole food and bodywork, and a Leave No Trace policy. Transformational festivals are held outdoors, often in remote locations, and are co-created by the participants. The events are psychedelic inspired, involving visionary art, speakers on topics of entheogenic substances, as well as audio and visual entertainment intended to amplify psychedelic experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaga Gathering</span> Music festival in Lithuania

Yaga Gathering is a transformational festival hosted in a clearing in Ežeraitis Forest, at the edge of Spengla Lake in the Varėna District of southern Lithuania. The festival has no corporate sponsors, and is financed by ticket sales. The site of the festival is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Vivie-ann Bakos, known professionally as BLOND:ISH, is a Canadian music producer and DJ. An environmental activist, she founded the nonprofit charity Bye Bye Plastics to eliminate single-use plastics from music venues and events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loud (electronic music act)</span> Israeli musical duo

LOUD are a psytrance / electronica / psychedelic music group consisting of Kobi Toledano and Eitan Reiter, both from Haifa, Israel. LOUD have been called "one of the hottest and most interesting groups in the world trance scene today."

The Maitreya Festival is a large outdoor music festival held yearly in Melbourne, Australia. The festival generally plays a mixture of psytrance and techno, and has a large associated Alternative community. It has grown considerably in size over its 10-year history, with the event starting with 2000 people, building to attract 10,000 attendees in 2015, its 9th year of operation. In terms of outdoor electronic music events (commonly known as Doofs or Bush Doofs in Australia, this makes it the third biggest after Rainbow Serpent and Earthcore. It is the largest psytrance event in Australia. Maitraya has been said as some to be more “Ideaologically in tune” and less commercial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Permaculture Action Network</span>

Permaculture Action Network is an organization that mobilizes concert-goers and festival-attendees to come out to "Permaculture Action Days," one day events where participants take direct action to build permaculture systems in the cities where they live. Past projects that the Permaculture Action Network has implemented include urban farms, community gardens, public food forests, earthen structures, rainwater catchment systems, greenhouses, and school orchards.

Wonderfruit is an annual gathering for art, culture, music, and nature at The Fields at Siam Country Club, outside Pattaya in Chonburi Province, Thailand. The event features a farm, musical performances, art and architectural installations, talks, workshops, wellness activities, and feasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberation Movement (music group)</span> American hip hop group

Liberation Movement is a music and artist collective founded in 2010 by Resurrector in San Francisco, California. Liberation Movement evolved out of San Francisco-based underground music project Heavyweight Dub Champion. The collective has become known for its live performances and as of 2020 has not officially released any recorded material. They have performed at many music festivals throughout the Americas. Reality Sandwich calls Liberation Movement "a new collaborative music project that pushes the boundaries of human experience". Jambase described their 2013 Symbiosis Gathering performance as "one of the most moving, mind-blowing musical experiences in recent memory."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soriah</span> Musical artist

Soriah is an American overtone singer, performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, and shamanic ritualist headquartered in Portland, Oregon and the Tuvan Republic. His music is a synthesis of traditional forms such as Tuvan throat singing, Shamanic music, Raga, and pre-Columbian Mexica music and language; with avant garde musical styles like Industrial, Ambient, Noise, and Goth. Likewise, his live performance is a fusion of costume and ritual from Tuva, Mexico, North American Native cultures, and Western Ceremonial Magic traditions; as well as chaos magic, butoh, and modern primitive movements of the 20th century. His lyrics, when there are any, are often written in the Nahuatl or traditional Tuvan languages. He won the title of "Best Foreigner" at the 2008 Ustuu-Khuree Festival in Chadanaa Tuva, and in that same year placed as "Third Laureate" at The International Throat Singing Symposium, which remains the highest award given to a non-Tuvan in the history of the Symposium. He also won 2nd Place in the Tuvan Nation Kargyraa Competition in 2014, was given a special award as "Great innovator of the art of Tuvan Throat Singing" in 2016, and won Best Kargyraa Performance at the Khoomei in the Center of Asia Festival 2019. As a solo artist, and with various collaborators and musical ensembles, Soriah has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Mexico. He is considered the highest-ranked non-native practitioner of Tuvan throat singing.

References

  1. ↑ Perry, Elizabeth (June 18, 2013). "Transformational Festivals: Where Ecstatic Spirit and Sonic Celebration Unite - REDEFINE magazine".
  2. ↑ "Symbiosis Gathering Co-Owner Wants to Ditch the Term 'Transformational Festival' | Thump" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  3. 1 2 "10 Things to Know Before Symbiosis Gathering '16". SF Station – San Francisco's City Guide. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  4. 1 2 3 "Interview with the Creators of Symbiosis Gathering: The Making of a Festival by Kimbriel Dean".
  5. ↑ "Come together: Kevin KoChen of Symbiosis Gathering talks communion, spirituality, electronic jams By Marke B."
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Beyond the music: Symbiosis Gathering reinvents the festival experience in 2015". Showbams. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "7 Wildest Transformational Festivals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Symbiosis Gathering is Like Burning Man on Spring Break | Thump". Thump. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Event Review: Symbiosis Gathering's 10 Year Re:Union". XLR8R. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  10. ↑ "Hippies party hard during eclipse". PerthNow. November 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ "When the Sun Licks the Moon's Back: Eclipse2012 By Iain McKelvey". Vulture Magazine.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Six reasons why Symbiosis Gathering wasn't your average dusty festival". Mixmag. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  13. ↑ "Symbiosis Gathering wraps up after four days". modbee. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Reflecting on Symbiosis Gathering 2015". The Huffington Post. 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Rahman, Neal (Oct 6, 2015). "Symbiosis Gathering 2015: A Magical Experience". Magnetic Mag.
  16. ↑ "PHOTOS: Is This The New Burning Man?". HuffPost. May 31, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Symbiosis Gatherings eclectic lineuppublisher=LA Weekly".
  18. ↑ "Dive Deeper into 3 of Oregon Eclipse Gathering's 11 Global Collaborators [Event Preview] - Compose Yourself Magazine". composeyourselfmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  19. ↑ "Oregon Scores International Collaborative Festival With 'Oregon Eclipse'". Dance Music NW. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  20. ↑ "Symbiosis Gathering will return to Woodward Reservoir". modbee. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  21. ↑ "Symbiosis | 09.18 - 09.20 | Yosemite". JamBase.
  22. ↑ "Symbiosis Gathering in Pyramid Lake prepares for Solar Eclipse".
  23. ↑ "Pollstar". www.pollstar.com.
  24. ↑ "County supervisors green light a second Symbiosis festival" By Ken Carlson. Merced Sun-Star
  25. ↑ "Symbiosis Returns to Oakdale CA Sept 17-20 2015 by Anand Harsh".
  26. ↑ Sharp, Richard (September 19, 2013). "Thousands flock to Oakdale for Symbiosis Gathering". KCRA.
  27. ↑ "Embracing Spontaneity: Symbiosis Gathering Surprises All at 10 Year Reunion". eventvibe.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Symbiosis Gathering's Tenth Year Crowns the West Coast as New Festival Mecca". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  29. ↑ Wilde, Frankie (2016-08-24). "Symbiosis Announces Dates for Oregon Eclipse 2017 - EDMTunes" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  30. ↑ "Oregon Eclipse - A Total Solar Eclipse Gathering 17-23 August, 2017 - Oregon Eclipse 2017Oregon Eclipse 2017". www.oregoneclipse2017.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  31. ↑ "Oregon Eclipse Drops the Biggest Festival Lineup of the Summer!". EDM.com. 2017-02-27. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  32. ↑ "Oregon Officials Approve Solar Eclipse Gathering In Crook County". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  33. ↑ Oregon Eclipse Introduces "Trailblazer Passes" New Bitcoin Based Ticket Buying at the Wayback Machine (archived 2017-11-15)
  34. 1 2 "Exclusive Interview With Bosque Hrbek, Founder of Symbiosis Gathering". The Huffington Post. 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  35. 1 2 3 "Symbiosis Gathering celebrates ten transformational years - Dancing Astronaut". Dancing Astronaut. 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  36. 1 2 "Symbiosis Gathering 10-Year Reunion Redefines Community". The Huffington Post. 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  37. 1 2 "Symbiosis Review | BitCandy". www.bitcandy.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  38. ↑ "The Kids of Symbiosis Gathering Were Adorable and Remarkably Eloquent". Fest300. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  39. 1 2 "Symbiosis by Name and in Practice". HuffPost. September 3, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Scenes From Symbiosis Gathering 2013 By Benjy Eisen". Rolling Stone.
  41. 1 2 "3 Ways A Music Festival Taught Me To Trim The Excess From My Life". Elite Daily. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  42. 1 2 "Symbiosis Festival in California By Kenza Moller". USA Today.
  43. ↑ "Superheroes Of Symbiosis By Laura Morgan". Oakdale Leader.
  44. ↑ "Rising Roots Permaculture: Transforming Spaces workshop at Symbiosis Gathering 2013". August 13, 2013.
  45. ↑ "Indigenous-led Workshops Set For Symbiosis Gathering By The Mending News".
  46. 1 2 Drummond, Michael (2015-10-02). "Interplay and observation at Symbiosis Gathering, a photo essay". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  47. ↑ "Interview with World Music Ensemble Stellamara | World Music Central.org" . Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  48. 1 2 "10 Magical Music Moments at Symbiosis 2015". Insomniac.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  49. ↑ "Trippy Art at Symbiosis Festival". High Times. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  50. ↑ "Artists Create Giant Bamboo Creatures for Extravaganza 2016". The Daily Nexus. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  51. ↑ "Front Page". The Art of Michael Christian. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  52. ↑ "Home". HYBYCOZO. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  53. ↑ "Shrine (@shrineon) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  54. ↑ "Site specific, architectural scale gates, portals, public art and sculptures by Bryan Tedrick". bryantedrick.com. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  55. ↑ "We Spoke To Vandana Shiva About The Future Of Food". Munchies. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  56. ↑ "Symbiosis Festival in California By Kenza Moller".
  57. ↑ "Symbiosis Gathering 06/07: Our Story".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.