The 12th Star Fire and Water Ceremony, 2023
Sunbury, PA
The 12th Star was an exploration of the fiery resilience that results from the disappointments and near-misses in our lives. The final event took place along the Susquehanna River, whose flowing waters persistently demonstrate strength, resilience and the potential for transformation as well as the need for protection. The shape of The 12th Star grew from a collaboration between interdisciplinary artists George Ferrandi and sTo Len, who were both deeply informed by interactions with community members over the course of around five months. They took part in several lead up events to the ceremony such as Stories on Tap on April 13th at the Albright Center and the Sunbury River Festival on August 18th & 19th. Stories on Tap are a local organization that produces storytelling events and workshops in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley with the goal of cultivating connection through the art of oral storytelling. The 12th Star’s collaborative event with them brought together local story tellers who shared their stories on resilience and introduced the 12th Star’s project in Sunbury.
The Sunbury River Festival is a local 30 year tradition that normally takes place along the Susquehanna River in Sunbury, PA for an entire weekend in August. This year however, the Festival took place miles away from the waterfront due to road construction near its usual location. The 12th Star decided to bring the river to the festival this year with an interactive Susquehanna River themed booth. Alongside the fried oreo and hot dog stands, the 12th Star set up a green screen activity where each participant could shoot a video of themselves down by the river in our pre-recorded video backgrounds that we shot along the Susquehanna. Paper mache props were available for everyone to use as well as a water misting machine that created the feel of an amusement park ride. These “video postcards” were then given to each person and shared with the public via a flatscreen monitor at our booth. This was a wonderful way to meet the public and talk about the river while creating a free, interactive artwork with our visitors.
The 12th Star Fire and Water Ceremony was the final event which took place on the Susquehanna River waterfront in Sunbury, PA. This immersive celebration began with a public greeting of the 12th Star Regatta of boats and kayaks adorned with white flags as they docked near the Sunbury Amphitheater. From the boats, they handed out hundreds of white flags to the audience and walked together in a sweet solemn surrender towards the end of the waterfront. Singing in unison (a song that had been taught to them before the boats arrived,) the march was unified in lyrics and rhythm, hand drums leading us into a new tradition. At the end of the procession, we gathered for the Color of Fire ceremony. Each person had a chance to think of something they wanted to give up and then paint the words or make the marks that best represented their thoughts. Using their white flag as the symbolic tool of removal, they then were allowed to erase it onto the flag. This was an incredibly simple gesture but one that felt deeply embodied within the collective spirit of the day and amplified the necessity for the resilience to survive the “almosts” of our lives collectively. As the flags re-emerged with red and orange paint, they unmistakably resembled fiery flames and we set off on a more upbeat march back towards the boats and to festoon them high on their bamboo flag poles once again. As the regatta took off against the currents, their flags flapped an empowered goodbye to the crowd as they waved their own flags back in a symbolic collective resilience.
Ceremonial snacks were provided by a local icon of resilience, Mama G, who created the menu based on the health restoring foods she was first able to eat after 6 years on a feeding tube.
Huge thanks to everyone who came out. These types of projects cannot happen without the support, belief, and participation of the local community which allow us to dream together, finding new rituals and forms of connection along the way. The 12th Star was generously funded by the Map Fund and fueled by an all star cast from the local community. Deep gratitude to Peter Toscano for being the master of moods in welcoming our audience with a warm embrace and Tori Romania, our secret weapon fire flag transformer.
