One Continuous Gesture
One Continuous Gesture will be a participatory exercise with Cynthia Moku. The group will be using brush, ink and paper - the three sacred elements of Asian calligraphy. These exquisite time-honored tools provide a flawless lens through which we can explore the possibilities of a seamless presence moving through our lives. She uses elements of formality, natural beauty, coded meaning, wilderness and ceremony to ensure an environment that inspires and stimulates, directly calling forth the muse in us all.
Form and Emptiness:
Awakening Through Ohana
Live ikebana performance art by Sensei, Alexandra Shenpen. The performance will be in conjunction with the screening of the short film Discovering Elegance, directed by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Canadian born, Alexandra has been studying ikebana/kado through Kalapa Ikebana & Sogetsu School for over 25 years. In 2012 she was awarded the highest rank of teacher in the Sogetsu School of ikebana, known as Riji, indicating mastery. Shenpen Sensei was appointed a Master Instructor for Kalapa Ikebana (founded by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche emphasizing a contemplative approach of nonaggression in the creative process), and an Artist to the Kalapa Court by Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche.
Japanese Tea Ceremony: Performance by Hiroko Akima
From age 3, Hiroko Akima began to drink matcha tea with her rather unusual family in a Buddhist temple in Shimane prefecture. She learned manners with her parents, being in harmony with her father (Omotosenke tea) and her mother (Urasenke tea). She began her formal study of tea at 14 years old, continuing chanoyu (hot water and tea) throughout her university education in chemistry.
In 1986, Akima-san received teaching certification. She moved to the U.S. in 1989 and began teaching and demonstrating Chado (the way of tea), receiving her master's diploma in 2010. She teaches both adults and children, is an accomplished oil painter, ikebana artist, and loves making her own wagashi (japanese tea sweets!)