In 2005, I co-founded Symbiosis Events, going on to produce dozens of events in northern California and beyond. Symbiosis set new standards for interactive live experiences, ranging from the first Yuri’s Night Bay Area at NASA’s Ames Research Center to multiple years of stages at the HowWeird Street Faire, and a variety of concerts and festivals.

Most notably, Symbiosis Events produces Symbiosis Gathering, a semi-annual multi-day campout festival. From humble roots in the local community, Symbiosis Gathering grew into one of North America’s most noted convergences of musicians, artists and educators in 2009. A pioneer in sustainability initiatives, Symbiosis Gathering was also named one of ‘Ten Festivals Serious about Being Green’ in E Magazine.

I formally moved on from a partnership role in Symbiosis Events in 2011, but I continue to offer occasional consultation and assistance.

In May 2012, Symbiosis Gathering moved to Pyramid Lake, NV, to host the event on the totality path of an annular solar eclipse. I provided graphic design for the event’s printed promotions and program booklet, but remained disengaged from the production itself, which allowed me to finally experience the fun of a Symbiosis Gathering as a participant (rather than a producer) for the first time.

In 2006 and 2008 I worked with the Liminal Village crew, building and managing the area which hosted the presentations, workshops, art gallery, and permaculture gardens of the festival. I spent over four weeks onsite in 2008, from setup to breakdown, and also participated in two discussion panels.

In 2010, the Liminal Village was renamed The Drop. I worked in the art gallery, in addition to moderating a discussion panel: The Evolution of Visionary Art.

In 2006 I worked on the multi-national crew of this one-off festival to build and decorate the ‘chillout’ stage area. We were unexpectedly limited in resources due to a shipping container delayed at customs, so we improvised. I led a mission to a local hardware store (with my handy Turkish phrasebook) to purchase rolls of burlap, cans of paint, and other useful supplies. With these, our crew was able to prepare the space in time for the event opening, despite lacking most of the originally intended materials.

In 2005, I brought the first contemporary visionary art ‘gallery’ to Rainbow Serpent, featuring works from North American artists Luke Brown, Kris Davidson, and J Garcia, in addition to selections from several Australian artists, including Andy (Android) Thomas.