Serenity Gathering 2018 - In Photographs
April 27-29th, 2018.
Location: Woodward Resevoir, Oakdale, California
Hi friends! It's been quite a while, I am aware.
What the heck has Claire been up to?!
When I returned from Acapulco, Mexico to do all the production work for Stateless Documentary, I hit a rough patch in life. My relationship with my partner and housemate at the time began to change dramatically; I was informed that we both had to move out of our apartment in a few months, and I was having a hard time coping with the sudden changes.
Finding myself more alone, more often, I found solace once again in my art. Basically having the apartment to myself most of the time, I used that time to write, dance, and work on projects I had neglected. I started attending several classes at my gym, and was feeling better about myself.
My good friend, Julian Feldman (pictured), reached out to me and urged me to apply to be a volunteer for Serenity Gathering. Julian was one of the scholarship winners at this past Anarchapulco, where we befriended each other. He convinced me to join the Green Team with him in exchange for a ticket to the event.
Before I knew it, I was on the road with my camping gear, party favors, and zero expectation for what was to come.
We arrived on Thursday afternoon, a day before the official start date of the festival. We were put to work casually, helping to build signs for the waste management team and let off earlier than expected.
Friday morning came. Festival-goers began to appear, the stages were nearly built to completion, and half a tab of acid later, Julian and I were out exploring the grounds. I, of course, brought my camera with me (as I am trying to take more photos!!!)
Patterns!
Faux Fur in all of the colors.
Selenite: The Mother Stone
Bounce Stage. The sound systems at the festival were from Funktion-One Sound, an incredibly reputable manufacturers of loudspeaker systems. This is taken directly from their website: "On a spiritual level, good music and good sound has the effect of opening peoples' minds and deepening their consciousness which can only be good for the planet." How fucking amazing is that!
DJ RICK MOTHAFUCKAAAA.
The festival felt more like a private party of close friends who didn't yet know each other.
There were so many moments where felt drawn to someone, or a group of people, and a mutual feeling of understanding and kindness was shared. It is such a wonderful feeling to be around like-minded folks who acknowledge and care about others around them! The captain of the green team even admitted that there was hardly any garbage left on the ground compared to other festivals.
I ended up taking some spontaneous product shots of some amazing pieces sold by my friends at Tranquil Trinkets. The sunlight was just too perfect and I couldn't help myself! Here is the photo set:
Many of the artists were also musicians, and friends with the musicians headlining the event. A good portion of the vendors had even set up their own sound systems at their booths, which made it so amazing to walk around. I would frequently stop at certain tents just to jam out or dance to whatever they were playing. It was such a great time!
Can't wait to see how this festival unfolds next year. I want to continue to surround myself with people who are aware, taking care of themselves (mentally, physically and spiritually), who aren't afraid to show compassion, to be vulnerable, and to create. There was certainly an air of magic throughout the weekend. Magic and a lot of love.