UNRULY: The Body as Altar — A Literary Sound Bath Ceremony
About this Event
UNRULY: The Body as Altar is a literary sound bath ceremony facilitated by poet and Collective Trauma Facilitator Antoinette Cooper, held in the libation chamber of the African Burial Ground National Monument. Sonic poems from her debut collection are woven with the live frequencies of multi-metal singing bowls and our collective meditation to create a collective somatic space where the body can soften and embody freedom.
This is not a performance. It is an offering. For ourselves. And for the ancestors.
Why August 23rd?
On the night of August 22nd to 23rd, 1791, in present day Haiti, an uprising began that would become a crucial force in the abolition of the transatlantic human trafficking of Africans. UNESCO designated August 23rd as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition in honor of liberation.
Schedule:
- 12:00 PM: Arrival & Grounding (Settle in, find a spot on the grounds, collect your carnation)
- 12:30 PM: Ceremony Begins
- 2:00 PM: Close & Departure
What this ceremony offers:
A return to your body. A somatic experience of words as felt sensation. Poetry that moves through us. Sound to support the nervous system in what it already knows—that healing is a birthright. Community gathered, not around suffering or the avoidance of it, but through spaciousness and energetic resource.
The ceremony arc:
- Meditation and intention setting
- Sonic poem excerpts from UNRULY
- Sound bowl accompaniment
- Embodied container
Who is welcome?
This ceremony centers Black peoples and our ancestors. All are welcome. If you are not Black, come ready to open your heart and send love to Black peoples and our ancestors. This is a collective Black love vortex and there is room for everyone willing to show up in that spirit.
What to bring:
- A cushion or mat to sit on (we will be outdoors on the grounds)
- A willing heart
What will be provided:
- A carnation to lay on the sacred ground as an offering in reciprocity
Location:
African Burial Ground Monument
(Outdoors in the Libation Chamber)
290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
(This free event is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement and UMEZ Arts Engagement, regrant programs supported by the funding agencies and administered by LMCC.)
A note on care: This ceremony is designed as somatic resourcing. You do not have to produce anything, fix anything, or perform anything. You are invited to arrive exactly as you are.
A note on documentation: This ceremony may be photographed and/or videographed for archival, artistic, and humanistic purposes. By registering and attending you consent to being included in that documentation.
Moved by this work? Support Black Exhale, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to healing intergenerational trauma in Black communities: give.blackexhale.org. Donations are tax-deductible.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
