Ontopo Catskill Zendo, SS18, held at the Catskill Zendo Monastery, was a 24-hour retreat focusing on the sanctuary as both a physical and metaphysical space. Featuring performances and discussions by artists such as Kathleen Kim, Helga Fassonaki, Ai Lin, and Ben Thorp Brown, the retreat explored the intersection of creative production, social justice, and well-being. Activities included film screenings, music performances, guided meditation, and group hypnotherapy, inviting participants to deconstruct and reconstruct notions of sanctuary through collective experiences of sound, architecture, and mindfulness.

Ontopo is pleased to present Ontopo Catskill ZenDo, SS18 an overnight temple stay with Kathleen Kim, Helga Fassonaki, Jon Santos, Nelleke McCowen, AHARAW, Ai Lin, Ben Thorpe Brown and Daniel Ryan. The stay, which includes group dinner and breakfast, will take place at Catskill Zen Do, a Korean Buddhist Temple in Summitville, NY. 

In a panel discussion Sunday morning, Kathleen Kim and Helga Fassonaki will discuss the intersection of creative production and social justice advocacy. Kim, an immigrants’ rights legal scholar and experimental musician/composer, will present on the constitutional foundations of immigration law and the historical link between race and immigration. Fassonaki, a visual and performing artist, will present on her project, Khal, which derives from her experience as an American artist in residence, of Persian and Azeri decent, in Tabriz, Iran, where women are legally restricted from public vocal performance. The discussion will be followed by experimental music performances by Kim and Fassonaki. 

Attendees will share a group dinner which will segue into a dance party featuring D.J.s Jon Santos, Nelleke McCowen, AHARAW, and Ai Lin. The next morning, we will reconvene over breakfast followed by group hypnotherapy and past life regression by hypnotherapist Daniel Ryan.

Kathleen Kim and Helga Fassonaki will perform an experimental music work and lead a discussion on Social Justice and Art. Alberto H. Arensberg will take us on a mushroom foraging expedition. Daniel Ryan will lead a meditation and group hypnosis, based on past life regression. Ben Thorpe Brown will screen a short film he directed titled "Gropius Memory Palace". Nelleke McCowan, Aharaw, Ai Lin and Jon Santos will play DJ sets.

Participating Artists
Anan Im
Ben Thorp Brown
Helga Fassonaki
David Louis Zuckerman
Sarah Biffen
Marija Miseviciute
Alberto Arhesberg
Nelleke McCowan
Jon Santos
Kathleen Kim
Daniel Ryan CRT