2 years ago RAGGA was invited by DIS to curate a room installation/ performance/ interactive space for the Back to School Benefit at PS1 MoMa. It sparked an idea to work with my RAGGA sisters to create a room for healing in the face of so much pain that had come from hurricane Maria. Keeping Puerto Rico, Dominica and Mexico in our hearts/ minds we created a "nest" of healing, art making, conversation and sister hooding. This set a tradition to gather not only for RAGGA dinners, gallery shows or bashment parties but time to sit and be with each other. In this RAGGA NEST set during World Pride 2019 we had the RAGGA family members: Sasha Phyars-Burgess, Domonique Nicole Echeverria, Antonia Estela Pérez Rojas, Shanekia McIntosh.
The room is centered around water and an homage to Yemoja. Yemoja is an orisha (The term for god used in various religions of South America and the Caribbean descent) and the mother of all orishas. She gave birth to 14 Yoruba gods and goddesses. Yemoja is often depicted as a mermaid, and is associated with the moon, water, and feminine mysteries. She is the protector of women.
In collaboration with Domonique Nicole Echeverria we built out a room centered around the power, politics and spiritual healing of water.
Sasha Phyars-Burgess, a photographer, has built an installation of her work in the space. Sasha shares her experience as a black photographic artist:
“I am black and though at times it may seem a constricting label I have to remember that I am made up of stuff that permeates the universe. That I have ancestors that survived torture, that my parents overstayed visas and worked wiping other peoples asses for me to have the passport I have and be whoever I want to be. So I’ll keep the label. I photograph mostly black people because I photograph the people I love, because I want to hold them like keepsakes, forever, because I am possessive and forgetful, not that a camera is the best memory aid, but it does help construct the truths you want to keep (good or bad). Because it is important to be able to have a say in what you look like, to let others know that you were here once too.”
Shanekia McIntosh read an original poem and collection of Oral Histories from participants of the stonewall riots before and after consequence to the community and how it specifically applies to black and brown bodies. She also set up a listening station that plays an audio documentary about the riots and its impact on the world from 1st hand encounters of that night. She was joined by her sister Davon who performed with her (@this_is_davon)
Shanekia on her work: “What's that saying about repeating history again? ... I'm always fascinated with the concept of oral traditions...It's such an important part of all of our development and I like to make space for histories that seem to be forgotten or obscured because they don't fit into a more mainstream narrative”
Domonique Nicole Echeverria, mother of platform Universal Mother.love blessed us to channel some necessary healing and intentional sisterhooding.
“The Universal Mother station inside the RAGGA nest is a safe space curated for mindful interconnection amongst guests. A nurturing vortex lead by healer Dominique Echeverria who will be offering intuitive reading, grounding sessions, one on one reiki healings, a space to pause and refresh throughout the day.” - Domonique
Antonia Estela Pérez Rojas for the space had a corner where people came to just chill out and learn. She made an an assortment of elixirs. Sexy elixirs. Energizing, relaxing and opening elixirs. She also curated a set of centering ceremonies, tutorials about elixirs.
Antonia also gave out envelopes with a mixtures of herbs for participants. “All herbs grown and harvested in NY. Through building a relationship with herbs that grow near us we learn to see and sense what they are communicating. Our more than human relatives are queer AF and are out here reminding us to LOVE and nurture each other. The herb blend is intended for protection, cleansing, and tender heart opening. They can be burned, given as offerings to the earth or spaces where we enter for the first time or as a bath.” - Antonia