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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—On July 19, 2015, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) will host an evening event at the elegant Bently Reserve in San Francisco celebrating the release of pioneering psychiatrist Stanislav Grof’s newest book, Modern Consciousness Research and the Understanding of Art, including The Visionary World of H.R. Giger.
The event will honor the life and art of Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger (1940-2014), and the vital contributions made by Stanislav Grof to psychedelic psychotherapy and transpersonal psychology. The evening will include presentations from Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., and MAPS Founder and Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D.; as well as a private reception, book signings, an interactive Q&A session with the presenters, and a psychedelic art gallery curated by Phaneros Gallery.
Over 22 artists will contribute works inspired by H.R. Giger and their own visionary experiences, including Martina Hoffmann, Android Jones, Bernard Dumaine, Chet Zar, David Heskin, Aloria Weaver, Luke Brown, Victor Policheri, Jake Kobrin, Janelle McKain, Cataclysm, Seth McMahon, Casey Swanson, E. Howard, John Shook, Hikaru Hirata-Miyakawa, Gabriel Welch, Ben Ridgway, Martin Stensaas, Emily Kell, Ishka Lha, Matthew Degrado, and more to be announced.
In 200 spellbinding pages—including over 100 full-color illustrations—Modern Consciousness Research and the Understanding of Art takes readers on an enchanting tour of the human psyche. In this beautiful book, Grof illuminates themes related to dreams, trauma, sexuality, birth, and death, by applying his penetrating analysis to the work of Giger and other visionary artists.
H.R. Giger gained international recognition for his design work on the film Alien (1979), and Grof’s transpersonal perspective provides a new and deeper appreciation for Giger’s work. “The result is a major contribution to the field of depth psychology, bringing together art and science to create a document that is both evocative and therapeutic,” writes author Wes Nisker. “After Sigmund Freud…and Carl Gustav Jung…Grof is unquestionably the third giant in the psychological interpretation of art in the modern age,” says Ervin Lászlo.
Born in 1931, Stanislav Grof has made monumental contributions to psychology, philosophy, and the interpretation of art, beginning his research into the psychotherapeutic uses of LSD in 1960 at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He is also co-creator of Holotropic Breathwork, founding President of the International Transpersonal Association, and teaches in academic and workshop settings worldwide.
MAPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization developing scientific, medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. Founded in 1986, MAPS has disbursed over $20 million—all donated by individuals and family foundations—to psychedelic and medical marijuana research, education, and harm reduction.
EVENT INFORMATION
What: Book Launch and Psychedelic Art Gallery Honoring H.R. Giger
When: Sunday, July 19, 2015
Reception at 5:30pm / Doors at 7:00pm / Presentations at 7:30pm
Where: The Bently Reserve, 301 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
Tickets: $30 General Admission
$60 Visionary Reader (includes book)
$125 Bon Vivant Reception (includes book)
$15 Student and Senior (65+) (ID required at the door)
Website: maps.org/gigerSF
Phone: (831) 429-6362
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