Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice was an artist-led evening celebrating the longest day of the year, and a communal picnic—a collaboration between an LA chef and artist—accompanied by sound performances, guided nature walks and meditative offerings to honor this seasonal transition. Hosted at the Audubon Center at Debs Park, the evening unfolded through a series of new work and gestures by artists exploring the concept of rituals, both traditional and contemporary, that connect us to the natural world and to each other, including:

• A communal meal envisioned by chef Jihee Kim of Perilla LA, platforming seasonal banchan and Korean fermenting practices while using local produce, and artist Eva Aguila, whose practice includes video, sound, and installation, with a central focus on food, particularly in relation to histories of the Mexican diaspora. Their collaborative summer menu merged Korean and Mexican culinary traditions, emphasizing shared ingredients and harvesting practices.
• A live performance by musician and artist Olive Kimoto—prompting reflection on our relationship with memory, ecology and the sacred.
• A self-led plant walk through Debs Park designed by Andrea Jimenez of Herb Club LA encouraging a connection with nature by exploring local plants through ethnobotany, Indigenous knowledge and bioregional herbalism. 
• A compost performance by artist Cassandra Marketos, who transformed organic remnants from our communal meal into a space for personal reflection and ecological renewal, evoking her practice of viewing decomposition as a catalyst for healing, change, and growth.
• Throughout the evening, our friends at Living Earth provided an ambient backdrop of durational solar soundscapes.