While undergoing treatment for cancer, Guadalupe Maravilla was introduced to sound therapy, a healing practice that uses vibrations produced by gongs. According to the artist, this practice “cleanse[s] the water in our bodies, which can carry stress, impurities, and, in some cases, diseases.” Now a trained sound healer, Maravilla regularly holds therapeutic workshops for undocumented immigrants, cancer patients, and those in need. The gongs played by the artist and his collaborators are tuned to specific frequencies that resonate with the moon and other planets in our solar system and will create an immersive soundscape within the artist’s sculptural installation.
As a part of his presentation at MoMA, Maravilla is offering sound baths to various audiences to coincide with celestial events and feast days. Certain sound baths are specifically intended for cancer survivors and those currently in treatment, their family and friends, and individuals mourning a loss due to cancer.
Admission to the sound baths is free but requires advance registration (see below). Tickets will be made available on a monthly, rolling basis. Please check back for additional sound bath dates.
What to expect
The sound bath will last for one hour. Late entry will not be permitted. Audiences will be welcome to sit or lie down in the gallery space; yoga mats and seating cushions will be provided. Chairs will be made available on a limited basis, upon request. Please note that the sound baths involve sustained noise levels of varying volumes. Wearing an extra layer of warm clothing is recommended.
Sound healers include Guadalupe Maravilla, Naoko Wowsugi, Daniel Givens, MX Oops, Hillary Ramos, and Sam Xu.
Please note that all visitors to this event are required to remain masked.
Organized by Paulina Pobocha, Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, and Martha Joseph, The Phyllis Ann and Walter Borten Assistant Curator of Media and Performance, with Gee Wesley, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance; sound baths produced by Lizzie Gorfaine, Producer, and Ginny Benson, Former Assistant Performance Coordinator, with the support of Olivia Rousey, Assistant Performance Coordinator, Performance and Live Programs.
