Collective Futures
Edge on the Square
SF, Chinatown, CA
Multi-Sensory Installation
Collective Space
12 ft x 12 ft
2023
“Self-care,” a terminology turned lifestyle that became increasingly more popular during the start of the pandemic, has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Co-opted by big corporate media for profit, many of us find ourselves in search of care, only to be fed algorithmic advertisements for subscription meditation apps, AI therapists, and social media influencers promoting corporate wellness programs. But how did the term self-care make its way into American culture? The term self-care was integrated into medical ethics teachings in the 1950s by primarily western psychiatric hospitals for institutionalized patients and was later expanded upon by the Black Panther Party during the Civil Rights Movement, with a focus on community care. The Black Panthers understood the critical role that community care played for the rights of Black and marginalized communities, seen through the many resources they organized, including free medical care, food security, childcare, and elderly safety programs. Today, through late-stage capitalism, self-care has transformed into a commodity that is consumed for profit and further perpetuates productivity culture.
In response to our collective experiences navigating the ongoing global pandemic, Macro Waves reimagines a future that centers healing through community care. As we have re-emerged from shelter-in-place, back to the hustle of in-person life, how do we pause and re-gather what we have collectively experienced? The notion of collective care has been practiced by non-Western communities for generations before self-care found its way into American culture. How can we become critical of the rhetoric around care when it is being used for profit? While caring for the self is fundamental to our collective well-being, when does the term self-care cause more harm than good?
Macro Waves dives deeper into the practice of care through, Collective Futures, a multimedia art experience and collective space that focuses on the act of re-gathering, the point of re-entry, and the process of collective transformation. Through a multi-sensory installation and a series of collaborative healing-based workshops and performances, this project challenges our perceptions of individual experiences and transforms them into a shared process. Collective Futures invites viewers to re-gather through a multimedia-based interactive installation that utilizes haptic vibrational technology, known to invoke relaxation and alleviate stress. Visitors are welcome to collectively pause by sitting, laying, sharing, and interacting with the vibrating tactile installation while listening to accompanying audio that synchronizes with each vibration. The vibrations offer a holistic experience uniting the senses of touch, sight, and sound. By cultivating a collaborative culture of exploration, inquiry, and play within the healing process, this multimedia art experience will also act as a workshop space for collaborators to facilitate alternative healing modalities focused on sound, breathwork, meditation, and intergenerational wellness practices.
Additional Links
https://www.edgeonthesquare.org/within-others/macro-waves
