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metemwaphasis is for:

friends & strangers curious about life in the cocoon for a fellow human navigating heartbreak, grief, longing, power, rage, pleasure, and the ever-elusive-yet-surprisingly-accessible joy.

friends & strangers looking for ways to thaw - from winter, from pandemics past, present, and ongoing, from freezing feelings to feel later because it's too much to feel right now.

friends & strangers interested in creating space(s) to safely witness & honour a fuller spectrum of human emotion.

friends & strangers ages 18+, as the screening will include some mature content. Attendees will receive relevant content warnings in a pre-event email as well as during the experience.

Think storytelling night meets photo-series screening meets poetry reading.

That means:

• If you want, you can go the whole time without talking to anyone (hello pandemic-fueled social anxiety).

• You might feel a range of emotions simply by way of witnessing a range of emotions in the art.

• It's not a drop-in, we'll start promptly at the indicated time, move through the experience in tandem, and close together.

All three screenings of metemwaphasis will be happening at the recently opened Reset Retreat Centre located at 634 Vaughan Road in Toronto, ON.

The Centre is an experiment around community, connection and collective joy aimed at supporting our social recovery from the pandemic.

The Centre is a phone-free, work-free space. This means that you’ll be asked to check-in your phone / devices into a personal locker (locks provided) upon entering the space, and you can retrieve your phone on your way out.

To keep the space clean and cozy, attendees will be asked to remove their shoes at the door. We don’t discriminate against naked vs. socked feet - just want to give you a head-up!

Most of the experience, including the opening exercise, screening, and closing exercise will be happening on the main floor of the space, which is physically accessible. Attendees who would like space to process the experience on their own after the screening will be invited to use the lower level of the space. The lower level is unfortunately not physically accessible.

metemwaphasis is hosted at Reset because:

SAFETY: As the subject of the photos and sharer of the stories, I feel an added sense of safety in a phone-free space. These photos and stories come with a level of vulnerability and I believe the values and design of this space can honour that.

PRESENCE: Parting with our devices, even if temporarily, can help us be more present in our bodies and to our emotions as we experience art. This is a way of honouring both the art as well as ourselves as vessels experiencing the art.

LEGACY: As one of its many advisors, I have watched Reset as an organization, as an organism, and as a culture undergo its own metemwaphasis - a process of change that is rooted in an ethic of love. I've watched it be accountable to harms it has both caused and inherited, and take responsibility for what it means to facilitate joy and play in an unjust world. Now, I'm watching it transform into an artifact from a future in which justice is pleasurable, rest is resistance, and revolution is irresistible.

Each screening will unfold as follows:

• Doors will open 30mins before the start time of each screening.

• Upon arrival, attendees will be asked to check their phones / devices into a personal locker at the venue (locks provided).

• The experience will start promptly at indicated start time.

• Temwa will facilitate a grounding exercise for attendees + provide framing for the experience.

• Together, the group will view / listen to a curated set of 59 photos and 11 poems that tell the story of metemwaphasis.

• Temwa will facilitate a closing exercise for the group.

• Attendees will be offered options to process their experience as individuals and/or as a larger group.

• Apr 21 only: Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with Darius Bashar (photographer)

Darius Bashar is the photographer of the metemwaphasis series.

Darius is a celebrated photographer and cinematographer who works with international celebrities and best-selling authors and thought leaders such as Seth Godin, Liz Gilbert, Lisa Nichols, and Masai Ujiri.

metemwaphasis was a part of his Black & White Experience, one of his three signature offerings.

Darius’s website is lush and overflowing with testimonials from clients, and you’ll find that the words “transformative”, “cared for / taken care of”, “safe”, and “soul” come up again and again.

I’m fairly sure that everyone who has been in front of Darius’s camera will agree that this human is more than a photographer - there’s a deeply gifted, practiced, and present facilitator behind the lens.

Whether you end up making it to metemwaphasis or not, whether now feels like the time to work with Darius or not, I recommend checking out his work.

p.s. For what it’s worth, timing does matter and you’ve got to believe yourself worthy of the experience you’d be gifting yourself. It took yours truly four years since learning about Darius’s B&W experience before feeling like it was what I needed for myself.

p.p.s. D will be at the Thursday April 21 screening of metemwaphasis if you’re curious to meet him in-person!

The central invitation to attendees is to participate in the experience and witness the art with a sense of presence and curiosity toward what it brings up in you.

This is less about complimenting the photos or validating the artistry (though both are welcome!). Know that I (Temwa) have already had my time with these photos. I’ve had enough space to honour both the product and the process of metemwaphasis, by myself and in small pockets of community.

This is more about allowing yourself to be an active participant in metemwaphasis. Let the photos, poetry, and stories serve as a prompt and mirror for you to survey and honour your own internal landscapes - the ways in which you’ve been moved, changed, and/or numbed over the last few years. Take yourself in through the eyes of an explorer.

I’ll be your guide, and while my own journey may serve as a map, you my friend are the terrain.

Nope! There will be water and tea on tap for folks looking to hydrate during the experience. We suggest either coming having eaten, or planning to eat afterwards (or both!) so that you can be fully present for the experience.

The Reset Retreat Centre observes and enforces the COVID guidelines set out by the Province of Ontario.

For this event, attendees will also be asked to wear a mask in the space.

The maximum capacity of each screening will be 25 attendees, which is less than 25% of the maximum capacity of the Reset Retreat Centre.

There are air purifiers are on both floors of the Centre. Additionally, it has a WavePlus that monitors indoor air quality and provides data to inform decision-making.

Windows and doors will be opened before the screenings to provide natural air flow and the Centre has spaced out programming to ensure adequate air movement.

We ask attendees to stay home if they are sick, have symptoms, or are aware of an exposure within 10 days of the event.

Thanks for asking! Take a listen here :)

We’re sorry to have missed you at metemwaphasis! Check out the compilation of “re-memberings” from the event (i.e. reflections from those who attended) here.