What's next this summer?

Dear Friends,

July was amazing for the Bowls Project with many awesome friends coming to share music, ritual and workshops. And we have many more coming up this month! Charming Hostess invites you to The Bowls Project at YBCA where you can share a secret and listen to the secrets of others during gallery hours. Or, participate in music on Thursdays, ritual on Fridays and hands-on workshops on Sundays. We will be playing music from The Bowls Project to introduce the weeknight programming below, and some weekends too. All events take place at:

Please join us at the dome this summer!

Peace,
Charming Hostess

AUGUST PROGRAMMING:

Sunday 8/1
2PM
One Taste leads a workshop about sacred orgasm

Sunday 8/1
4:30PM
Susan Duhan Felix speaking on contemporary Blessing Bowls: Origins & Present Day Uses

Thursday 8/5
6PM
Rachel Valfer-Sills of Qadim plays Iraqi Jewish music, sacred and secular

Friday 8/6
6PM
Kismat-Mahal Kirtan Ensemble leads ecstatic chant

Sunday 8/8
2PM
Pamela Reitman from Makor Or and Everyday Zen leads Jewish meditation for all

Thursday 8/12
6PM
Susu Pampanin Middle Eastern percussion ensemble

Friday 8/13

6PM
Sharanya (R)evolutionary Shakta Tantra honoring Kali Maa, the Dark Mother

Saturday 8/14
Big Idea Night at YBCA
Screening meditative work by film artist Shezad Dawood in the dome, with ChoHo performances from 11PM to 12AM

Sunday 8/15
noon-6PM
Maggid Jhos Singer teaches chants and songs in the Jewish mystical tradition

Thursday 8/19
6PM
X-Alfonso, Cuban hip-hop star, unplugged!

Friday 8/20
6PM
Sister Sara Femme leads a botanical celebration of labia and plants

Saturday 8/21
6PM
Dan Cantrell and Lily Storm
8PM
Amazing special guest I am not allowed to annunce yet

Sunday 8/22
2PM
Orisha Girls from Satya Yuga: sing the Bowls safely toward its next journey.

JULY PROGRAMMING:

Sunday 7/11
noon-6PM
Jewish Music Festival open dome day!

Thursday 7/15
6PM
InkBoat: Butoh in (and on) the dome

Friday 7/16
6PM
Jewlia: Shamanistic Shabbat

Sunday 7/18
noon-6PM
The Bowls Project CD Release Party (inside YBCA Forum)

Thursday 7/22
6PM
Women of the Real Vocal String Quartet
Strings play medieval madrigals and Malian love songs

Friday 7/23
6PM
Alleluia Panis and the women of Kularts lead a ritual that Balances the Elements

Saturday 7/24
6PM
Cornelius Boots Multi-Reed Shamanistic Extravaganza

Sunday 7/25
2PM
Amy Kassiola leads a workshop on demon-proofing your home with amulets.

Thursday 7/29 (Jewlia's birthday!)
6PM
Faun Fables: Songs about the domestic world

Friday 7/30
6PM
UnLocked: The sacred geometry of the African diaspora in braids

Saturday 7/31
International Body Music Fest preview and fundraiser: Keith Terry, Evie Ladin, Derique McGee, Alex Feng
30 min shows @ 6, 6:45 & 7:30
Suggested Donation $10-25

PS: SECRETS: Don't forget to call our toll-free number and leave us an anonymous secret we can use for the dome: 1-800-420-4459 or http://thebowlsproject.com/.

PPS: DOCENTS: Did you want to be a dome docent but you haven't told us yet? Now's the time.

LINKS:
what's happening next?:
http://www.jewlia.com/email.html

youtube videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/thebowlsproject

the secrets blog--share a secret, we'll put it in the dome. it's anonymous:
http://thebowlsproject.com/

the whole thing:
http://www.charminghostess.us/projects.html

the press:
http://habitusmag.com/2010/07/1895/at-home-with-the-unheimlich-a-conversation-with-jewlia-eisenberg/

http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2010/07/01/demon-amulets-and-building-codes-sound-installation-thatll-bowl-you-over

http://zeek.forward.com/articles/116827/appeals-to-the-outcast-the-bowls-project/

http://www.tabletmag.com/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/03/BARV1E8OJJ.DTL

The Bowls Project by Charming Hostess Opens July 6 at YBCA

Dear Friends of Charming Hostess,

Dome day draws near! The Bowls Project at YBCA opens this Tuesday July 6th! Our immersive installation based on sex and magic in Babylonian Jewish amulets, The Bowls Project takes place within a masterwork of ancient-meets-modern design: a double vaulted masonry dome designed by architect Michael Ramage. The Bowls Project dome is a place to share a secret and hear the anonymous secrets of others, listen to live music on Thursdays, participate in ritual on Fridays, encounter embodied text on Sundays, and dig on the apocalyptic intimate whenever YBCA is open. We’ll be sending out a schedule of events in the dome next week.

Please join us as we dedicate the dome with procession, performance, ritual, secrets, and bowl inscription. Welcome!

Charming Hostess presents The Bowls Project
Tuesday July 6
6PM
Meet in Great Hall of YBCA at 701 Mission
Walk to Bowls Project on corner of 3rd and Mission
San Francisco, CA

• Can’t come, but you want to participate? SHARE A SECRET! Easy and anonymous! Call our toll-free number: 1-800-420-4459 or click here:http://thebowlsproject.com/

• Want to know more about The Bowls Project, including videos of the build? http://www.charminghostess.us/projects.html

• Want to discover the latest news about The Bowls Project? http://www.charminghostess.com/news.html

Dome out! Love,
Jewlia/Charming Hostess

Domes complete, and seismically tested

Almost Done, Thursday at 4 pm

Getting Close...

Almost there!

Small dome complete!

Well, inside at least! Jason and Michael put in a long Sunday to finishe the first layer of the small dome, and get the second dome ready for complete rings. Soon we can remove the interior intersection guidework!

Starting to take shape

Michael works on the final courses

Dome done!

Jason and dome both finished at the end of the day!

Great progress on Friday and Saturday

Friday and Saturday saw more great participation from BAC Local 3. Pete put it well when he commented how it was a pleasure to volunteer where your profession is actually needed. We're so grateful to have these skilled craftsmen with us.


Dave J. laying the "herringbone" belt around the base of the small dome


The inside of the large dome begins to define the space


Tim lays tile in the second layer


Father and son team of Tim and Pete make great progress with the tile on the inside of the big dome.

Progress

Beginning of the day Thursday


End of the day


Another view of The Bowls at the end of the day Thursday


The final course comes to light

Union Craftwork

Yesterday and today were days of incredible progress. Thanks to the men of BAC Local 3 the domes are well on their way. We even started the 3rd and final layer today, which will be the visible side of the shell. The level of skill and professionalism these men show is amazing, and their dedication to building the bowls is a real testament to them.

The Bowls at the beginning of the day Thursday

Jewlia tries her hand at laying tile


The crew relaxes for lunch


Tim helps Steve (unseen) lay the final herringbone patter to The Bowls.

Masonry on site!

Monday the members of the Brickworkers and Allied Craftworkers Local 3 arrived and began working their masonry magic. Dave, Tom, Dan, Randy and Tim have quickly learned the tile-vaulting techniques and are fast becoming experts in the field of vault building.


Tom (left) and Dan laying the first course of Xella AAC tiles


The state of play at the end of the first day


Tom uses a staple gun to fix the geotextile reinforcing to the dome


Masonry at the end of the day Tuesday

Ready for Masonry!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been very big days of progress as we get ready for the masonry construction to start on Monday. It's been a few days of hard labor and now some visible forms for the domes

20,000 lbs of masonry mortar for construction, all carried up to the sculpture court by hand.

Pallets of aerated autoclaved concrete tiles ready for dome building

The guidework begins to take shape and define the form of the domes

Sunday at noon, with all the guidework completed

When The Bowls are complete

Today the 30,000 lbs of masonry, mortar and guidework arrive for the dome construction. When we are all done (in 10 days or so) the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will have a summer performance space of two intersecting domes on a seismic isolation plinth.

Sketch renders of the bowls in place.

The Plinth almost Finished!

Today saw some rapid progress from partially framed plinth in the morning to fully decked plinth by the afternoon. I even got to lay out the dome on the deck to check its size and positioning. All the guidework and prep happens tomorrow and over the weekend, with masons showing up on Monday.

The Framed Deck

Unistruct steel will support the access stair at the corner

Done!