September 7, 2011
Meditations on San Francisco

Sat, Oct 8, 6-9pm | City Center, 300 Page Street

Meditation means different things to different folks. For some it evokes Buddhists in the traditional lotus position engaging with an ancient practice of enlightenment. For others, a simple guitar drone or thoughtful work of art can lead to a heavy spiritual space out.

Barn Owl musicians

Photo of Barn Owl by Margo Moritz

At The Bold Italic we enjoy questioning what big ideas mean on a local level. Meditation has such a strong history in this city, and there are so many ways to engage with it, that we’re thrilled to partner with the esteemed San Francisco Zen Center for an event that merges spreading the word about the Soto Zen practice with musicians and artists who inspire us to think differently.

On Saturday, October 8, we invite the public to explore SFZC’s City Center location, a gorgeous building designed by Julia Morgan, for an evening of meditative sights, sounds, and special refreshments. We’ll feature performances by local musicians Barn Owl, Date Palms, and Danny Paul Grody. In resonance with the focus of the evening, visual artist David Wilson will present an interactive installation, which will allow guests to engage in a creative group activity, forming a geometric stained glass piece in the courtyard. The music and art installation will start at 6 and go through to 9 pm.

In the Buddha Hall, the SFZC will offer meditation instruction (followed by a brief chanting of a traditional Zen sutra for the well-being of others) from 6-7 pm, a “listening booth” from 8-9 pm, and screening of archival footage of the center’s founder, Suzuki Roshi, throughout the evening.

We hope you’ll join us for this very special, very San Francisco merging of the artistic and spiritual worlds.

$12 – purchase tickets through The Bold Italic web site

UPDATE: New Video: Barn Owl & Date Palms Get Zen – The Bold Italic event at SF Zen Center on Oct 8