Immersive ExhibitionATI:
At the Heart of healing

Ati means heart in Javanese. When we heal from physical illness or injury we take medicine but, what is true medicine for the heart? For the Lakota and Yukon people of Turtle Island medicine is more than pills. Medicine is simply essence. There is good medicine and bad medicine.“When two good things join together, the essence is the foundation of love, health and healing…When two bad things come together or are broken apart, the essence is the source for anger, pain and suffering.” -Doug Good FeatherAti is a tool based on the medicine wheel to immerse yourself into reflection about the way we have been impacted by good and bad medicine under the conditions of colonialism, capitalism and white supremacy. Ati is an invitation to viewers you to think about the past and how we want to move forward to make good medicine for ourselves as individuals and as a community.

So what is the medicine wheel? What is medicine?

This medicine wheel is based on indigenous knowledge that I have been gifted from various people. There are medicine wheels all over the world and my first teachers were formerly incarcerated residential school survivors, Phil and Harold(Black Raven) Gatensby of the T’lingit Nation.After learning about the medicine wheel I realized it is everywhere. It is an indigenous worldview that understands all aspects of life as interconnected.In Indonesia I learned about this through “canang sari" where there are different offerings to each direction because peace has different parts to it. The medicine wheel of Dagara Nation from Burkina Faso focuses on the elemental(fire, water, earth, mineral, nature) parts of healing and wellness. The Lakota people have a similar medicine wheel as the T’lingit as well.In the many iterations of the medicine wheel its important to know that if one aspect is out of balance the rest of them are. If you are unwell mentally it impacts you physically, emotionally and spiritually. All four parts of your heart/yourself needs to be taken care of and loved for.

Spiritual

The medicine wheel highlights 4 areas of wellness. This is the first one: Spiritual. There are many things to touch and use. This includes essential oils, salt to taste, beads to play with, incense, and books. Visitors take 5-10 minutes to meditate. If they need help with the meditation, feel free to put on the headphones and take a listen. If they choose to listen to the audio, they will be hearing Mica Rose guide you through the meditation and Tsering Tspol playing the singing bowls and gong. This area is so that they can call to their spirit and acknowledge the energy that each spirit is in at the moment.
Visitors take a moment to reflect on how they have been taking care of their spirit, the essence that brings them to life!

Emotional

This is the second area, where we will be reflecting on emotions. Emotions are something we feel everyday and impact the way we move, feel, and behave!As you look at the installation, pay attention to what emotions you feel and what you see.Think about what impacts your emotions most in life- What do you need and what do you want to transform them?Please take a sticky and a clothespin, write your wants and your needs, and clip it to a string/ornament that represents what you feel.

Mental

This is the third area: mental. Many people mix up emotions and mental because they are so similar. Mental focuses on the mind and how you process what goes around you.There are a few prompts, the visitors are able to interact with and contribute to this area!First prompt asks visitors to take a sticky note, write out an answer to “What are 3 values you have? What are your no-matter-what’s?”, and place their note on the back wall.Second prompt uses the clear shells to draw a visual interpretation to the question “Do you have enough clarity to your thoughts for them to become wisdom?” and attach their shell to the string web.Third prompt gives the option to write on a new sticky note, or draw again on your shell, expressing “What is a secret you want to let go?”Fourth/final prompt invites visitors to take a tool and a metal board, then bang into the metal with a hammer while considering the thought “What do you wish to see transform?” The metal plates would be later used in the Amulet project by Rhea Vedro at Boston City Hall.

Physical

This is the last area: physical! Moving with Ati is an invitation for you to move your body and get physical! This film features local Boston talent in the dancers, music, set, and film crew. As you move with us, give compassion and appreciation to all of your cells!

Events of ati

Closing Celebration/Rave at Friend Street Project

Ati was an exhibition but, it was also a week of community... from grief circles to raves to a spring equinox celebration. Enjoy looking at some photos from the week of events.

Opening Celebration

Spring Equinox Celebration

Sound of Ati

BACK 2 EARTH RAVE & CLOSING CELEBRATION

Youth in the Building

Youth from Teen Empowerment, Teens Exhibition Program at the ICA and Zumix