~ Queer Sound Bath facilitated by Ocean and Nicole Smede inspired by Karla Dicken's Rise and Fall exhibition at Wollongong Art Gallery ~

Queer Sound Bath offers a space for queer souls to bathe in the healing nature of sound as a method of meditation and engaging in a communal spiritual practice. These sessions are a tender moment to drop into our hearts and bodies, immerse in collective sound healing, and connect with community. For this edition, Illawarra-based artist and musicians Ocean and Nicole Smede will immerse us in sounds inspired by Karla Dickens’ exhibition Rise and Fall.

Nicole Smede is a multi-disciplinary artist of Warrimay, Birribay, Irish and colonial descent, living and creating on Wadi Wadi Dharawal Country. A reconnection to ancestry, language and culture ripples through her work in voice, song, sound and poetry, exploring what it means to be ‘of Country’. https://nicolesmede.com

Ocean is a non-binary artist of mixed settler heritage, living on the cliff edges of the Merrigong/escarpment overlooking the sea on Wodi Wodi Dharawal Country. They draw from their namesake to create ethereal soundscapes, expressing the fluidity of their experience as a genderqueer human through sound and song.

Tickets are by donation on a sliding scale, with no one turned away for lack of funds.

Accessibility: This event will take place in one of Wollongong Art Gallery’s wheelchair-accessible spaces. Tickets are limited so there is plenty of space for social distancing, masks are encouraged, we emphasise community care and ask you to remain home if you are unwell. There are rugs, cushions and couches provided in the space but we encourage you to BYO comfort items.

This event takes place on stolen Dharawal lands. Kaleidoscope Collective pays respects to elders past and present, acknowledging their sovereignty and ongoing connection to Country, community and healing. We stand in solidarity with First Nations communities and a portion of our profits are diverted towards Pay The Rent. None of us are free until all of us are free. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.