Thingamajigs and San Francisco International Arts Festival presents: Self_less

Embark on a captivating journey with “Self_less,” a multipart series of musical works created by Edward Schocker and in partnership with the local community. Through a culmination of collective narratives shared by community members, we delve into exploring the question of “what is the self?” from a cultural, spiritual, and social perspective. These stories are harmoniously intertwined with music and songs composed by Schocker, brought to life by traditional Korean instruments played by the South Korean group, Ensemble PHASE, and accompanied by live video projections from the talented Keith Evans. Audience members will be immersed in a space enveloped and animated through visuals and music.

Unconsciously, humans wake up, make our breakfast, and move throughout the day with a unified sense of self that we take for granted. We view our lives as linear. We have our past that we reflect on, we live in the present, and we plan, hope and dream of our future. Sometimes events take us out of that normal state of mind, and these experiences, whether lasting only seconds or for an extended period, can have profound effects on people.

Join this safe space to hear and deeply personal and emotional stories of local community members dealing with mental health, neuropsychological challenges and end of life transitions. We ask you to look within yourself and investigate who you are as a person. Is ‘The self’ what's there when we wake up and then slips away when we fall asleep? Do all the moments we remember, strung together in our life, define our sense of personhood? Do we control our thoughts or do our thoughts control us? When we lose our memory, whether through dementia, amnesia or Alzheimers, is our ‘self’ still there? Self_Less investigates these moments when we feel we have crossed over to glimpse an alternate state of being and uses abstract images, music and storytelling to reflect the emotions and experiences for the audience.

Tickets are free, reserve below. (donations requested)

This trip has been funded by the Arts Council Korea, and co-presented by San Francisco International Arts Festival.