A parody art show satirising the fringes of New Age healing modalities, featuring absurd radical wellness technologies and bogus mystical initiations.
The Rotunda hosts the Holistic Quantum Activation Art Expo on Friday, October 23, from 7 PM to 10 PM, presented by Starstuff Society. It's a parody art show that takes aim at the fringes of New Age healing, and the whole thing is built around a single joke: the more absurd the claim, the more seriously it's played.
Inside, you'll find a room full of fake wellness technologies and nonsensical healing solutions. There are 'vendors' peddling pretend panaceas and sham workshops led by disingenuous grifters. The show's copy lists a few of the specific experiences you can expect: the 'radical time-slowing effects of personalized inverse-entropon dosages,' donating your cells to the 'pantry,' bringing about a global simultaneous orgasm with prophetess Nastya Romanov, and connecting with the 'Intrinsic Power of Cat Meditation.' It's the kind of thing that works best if you just lean into the absurdity and let the grifters sell you on it.
The expo is part of a larger run of programming at The Rotunda this season, and it's flanked by two participatory workshops that let you get in on the joke yourself. On October 8, there's 'Invent Your Own Miracle Wellness Product,' and on October 17, 'Weirdo Fest' gives you a chance to design a patent for your own miracle product. If you're planning to go to the expo, those are a good way to build up your own fake credentials beforehand.
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Practical details: The Rotunda is at 4014 Walnut Street in West Philly. The expo runs from 7 PM to 10 PM on Friday, October 23. There's no virtual attendance option, so you'll need to be there in person. If you're bringing anyone under 18, they'll need a parent or legal guardian with them.
