“Beauty Spots” (2017)
The boundaries of my small home studio (i.e. the living room floor) have been tested this last month as I began creating pieces for an outdoor installation at Gasworks Arts Park. The exhibition showcased the creativity of 37 artists forming an arts trail that wound around the bushland of this public park.
The exhibition brief was to imagine:
What would happen next if the energy and vitality of the park grew in self expression so that new forms became apparent, DNA began to change and evolve and surprising structures of transient beauty were made manifest?
Using materials gathered mindfully from my local beach environment, and with generous donations from artist friends I envisaged creating a series of “beauty spots” arising from the soil or skin of mother earth.
I envisioned the outdoor space with one central large Beauty Spot surrounded by four individual spots each holding a different energy. In effect each spot would become a mandala (or circle of wholeness) within a larger mandala.
Mandalas have been used as a meditation and centering tool for many years in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. I wanted the installation to be a circle of reflection and contemplation where viewers could be invited to become centred and calm and to connect with feelings of peace, joy and inspiration.
As the mandala was to be created during the time of Beltane in the Celtic tradition I also hoped it would celebrate the potency of the arrival of spring in all its fertility, creativity and abundance. There was no shortage of natural materials! I spent days on my knees under casuarina and pine trees gathering hundreds of seedpods. It was a humbling experience being brought close to mother earth and witnessing her generosity in this way.
The mandala was structured to reflect the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind and space) and the five directions in a traditional medicine wheel (east, north, south, west and the centre):
- The east- blue-water
- The north- green-air
- The west- red-fire
- The south- yellow-earth
- The Centre- white- space
Many of the elements were constructed at home. A key consideration was how the materials would stand up to the presence of wind, rain, dogs and children!
In the final days before the opening, we blessed the land with a simple ritual and began work. As you can see from the photos below, the weather was freezing cold during the construction phase. I take my beanie off to all the artists as we laboured through rain and wind to get our pieces finished and viewer ready in time.
On day 1 of the construction I was amazed to have a wattlebird descend from a nearby tree and land on the stones of the central mandala. She did this several times, landing on the ground then and flying back to her perch. I felt it was a good sign and a blessing of the mandala.
Throughout the exhibition week I returned to the Beauty Spots to maintain and repair damaged elements. During this time it was delightful to have members of the public come by and experience the mandala. Young children loved to visit and interact with the elements. One young girl described it as a fairy circle. Others said how peaceful it was and that the centre had a powerful energy. One older woman was reminded of her childhood and easter celebrations at church.
These and many other enriching conversations are possible in an outdoor exhibition where people are often relaxed and open to new experiences. It made me appreciate the value of what we do as artists.
Thank you to Gasworks Arts Park for the opportunity to participate in this exhibition, and to all the other artists who did some amazing work!
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Reblogged this on Lisa Fam.