A Slow Day of Returning Community Day · January 3 Part of "Gateless Gate II: Ritual of Returning" Presented by Ann Shi, a poco art collective A slow unfolding of tea, breath, paper, and presence. ___ A Slow Day of Returning is a community day held in conjunction with "Gateless Gate II: Ritual of Returning", Act II of a trilogy, conceived as a shared ritual rather than a conventional event. The afternoon unfolds through embodied practices that move between tea, breath, and the hand—inviting participants to return not to an elsewhere, but to what has never been separate. At the center of the day are two intimate Japanese tea ceremony sessions led by Kaoru (Kiki) Kuribayashi, held within Flora Kao’s "Hope"—with the entire space wrapped by Asian packaging twine and ginkgo leaves that transforms the architecture into a tactile enclosure. As tea is prepared and shared, the fragrance of tea and ginkgo intermingles, grounding the body while evoking cycles of memory, decay, and return. The installation functions not as backdrop, but as a container: a cave-like interior, a maternal holding space where sensory experience precedes interpretation. The program continues with a brief "Ba Duan Jin" breath-and-body practice, conducted within sound and light in front of Relational’s "The Universe Breathes Us," where breath becomes a reminder that body and cosmos are not distinct systems, but continuous exchange. An origami workshop led by Flora Kao follows, where folding operates as a quiet, repetitive gesture—an act of care, remembrance, and return through the hands. Across the afternoon, tea, breath, and material gesture form a single logic: returning not as regression, but as recognition. The cave, the womb, and the universe are not metaphors for elsewhere—they are conditions we are already inside. ___ Program: 2:00-3:50pm Japanese Tea Ceremony, led by Kaoru Kuribayashi (Kiki Kaoru). $45 · Limited to 7 participants per session · Advance RSVP required - 2:00–2:45pm Session I - 3:05–3:50pm Session II 4:00–4:15pm Breath & Body Practice ("Ba Duan Jin" 八段錦) A brief qigong sequence focusing on breath, circulation, and gentle activation Conducted within sound and light, in front of Relational’s "The Universe Breathes Us". Open free to all attendees. 4:30–5:30pm Origami Workshop, led by Flora Kao $25 · Limited to 6 participants · Advance RSVP required Materials provided ___ This day unfolds slowly; punctuality is part of the offering. Details and RSVP: ann@apoco.art. IG: @a.poco.art.collective. Space is limited by design. Your contributions help cover materials and artists' time and labor.