“Bardo” is a Tibetan word describing a gap between any two conditions, an intermediate state. Although usually associated with the spiritual plane, there are so many middle grounds in everyday life. At the Artica festival, we experience art in a flood plain shaded by the skeletons of industry, surrounded by ghosts that haven’t moved on.

Tales of ghosts and possessions usually conjure spooky or frightening feelings. But what if those existing in the gap between states craved connection and care as much as the living? What would it mean to possess and be possessed? In the bardo along the river, will you be possessor, or possessed?

Text: George Saunders’ “Lincoln In The Bardo” (2017)

Date: Saturday, October 3 at 2pm Central

Location: Artica Festival DIY Stage in St. Louis with Chris and Michelle

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