digitaldeities

condom dresses, YES.. they are beautiful too!

China is entering in the world of fashion on unusual way. They made a condom fashion show, and as you can see, there are a lot of interesting, clever and beautiful dresses!

reBLOG from: fillinn.com

old cell phone mandalas

Once again the lovely Web Urbanist blog has shown me another gem of an artistic project.... mandalas made from old cell phones.

re-blog from Web Urbanist:
Even old cellphones can be beautifully repurposed.  This gorgeous precision display by artist Rob Pettit consists of 5,000 cellphones destined for the landfill. Rob’s early work utilized more traditional mediums; however, in his more recent works he has relied heavily on used and discarded wireless and cellular telephones to make his mark.

PANTHEON - old school data visualization MANDALA

The great Roman Pantheon, built in 126 AD, was an immense 3D architectural mandala that could have been a map of the planetary orbits, read below ... old school data visualization at it's very best!!!

re-blog from: bldgblog.blogspot.com

"A testament to Roman architecture and engineering," NASA writes, "the Pantheon's dome is said to symbolize the vault of the heavens."

[Image: A "celestogramme," looking up from within at the dome of the Pantheon, by Wolfgang Wackernagel].

Seeing that, of course, makes it impossible for me to resist referring you back to BLDGBLOG's interview with Walter Murch, posted two weeks ago, in which Murch postulates a possible connection between the physical structure of the Pantheon itself and the heliocentric astronomical theories of Nicolaus Copernicus.
In other words, does the dome of the Pantheon "symbolize the vault of the heavens," as NASA writes, but in an unexpectedly literal way?
In the interview, Murch explains how he "superimposed Copernicus’s drawing [of the planetary orbits] over an image of the Pantheon’s dome – and found that the ratios of the circles in his drawing and the ratios of the circles of the Pantheon line up almost exactly. Seeing that alignment was one of those wonderful moments where you suddenly feel a strong current of connection with the past."

[Image: Superimposition, by Walter Murch, of Copernicus's diagram of planetary orbits over a celestogramme of the Pantheon by Wolfgang Wackernagel].

So is it just an interesting coincidence?
Murch goes on:

The circumstantial evidence [for a real connection between Copernicus's drawing and the structure of the Pantheon] is compelling, but there is no reference to the Pantheon in any of Copernicus’s correspondence or in the various manuscript versions of de Revolutionibus – so we will probably never know for sure.
Nonetheless, it’s a fascinating thought: that this magnificent temple, built 1400 years before Copernicus ever saw it, designed by a pagan, Sun-worshipping Roman emperor, and later transformed into a church, may have had secretly encoded within it the idea that the Sun was the center of the universe; and that this ancient, wordless wisdom helped to revolutionize our view of the cosmos.

If you haven't seen the interview yet, be sure to check it out. It's worth the read.

[Image: Inside the Pantheon; via].

progress ... the Van Alen Fellowship project proposal

Tying together many of my previous posts and research .. I was able to complete and send off a Fellowship Grant to Van Alen Institute on March 6, 2009.  We will see.. what opportunities my future holds!

The project area I focused on was CULTURE AND POLITICS here is what questions they ask.. that I tried my very best to explain below in my proposal!

This project area refers broadly to the ways social forms, norms, identities and institutions are constituted by and through spatial practices in the public realm. The Institute seeks a range of investigations that engage the following questions:

How is public architecture alternately constructed and occupied as a site of freedom, exclusion, resistance, control and uncertainty? How are public spaces made and unmade through social struggles over rights and access? How are they shaped by cultural conflict and political debate over representation? How does design in the public realm variously operate as a vehicle for historical, social, cultural and political meanings and values? What space do different kinds of bodies, behaviors and emotions take up in public? How do they belong or not belong in public life and how might we imagine alternative forms of belonging?

Topics in this project area may include monumentality, collective memory, propriety, property rights, everyday urbanism, identity politics, biopower, homeland security, defensible space, civil liberties, citizenship, geopolitics, multiculturalism, spectatorship and tourism.

Project Proposal – Culture and Politics - Carrie Mae Kreyche

Confiscated Weapons of Mass Construction is an installation of large Yantra symbols, geometrical combination's of circular diagrams used in meditative practice, made with thousands of recycled scissors confiscated from airport security procedures. Constructing these Yantras out of confiscated airport items and placing them back into public spaces, blends together the layers of ancient ritual and modern culture, bringing to the public realm reflections on safety, protection and the role of security measures.  This proposal illuminates how valuable the visual environment is to either soothe or disrupt the emotional and spiritual state of a viewer.     

Public spaces such as shopping malls, airports and motorways are what author Marc Augé calls ‘non-spaces’.  They are public space where individuality is left behind and everyone, especially after passing through security procedures at airports, is on the same level of identity because these public spaces are both everywhere and nowhere.  The public spaces of airports were redefined when the FAA began searching people in airports in 1972 and since 9/11, security measures have been tightened even more thoroughly.  The need for security and the public’s fear of attack makes current airport spaces fertile ground for stringent rules and regulations.  The accessibility and process of national and international travel has become an uncomfortable inconvenience or struggle for many passengers.  The lines are often long and personal space is invaded with random body searches and the confiscation of personal items.  

Most airports are built as spacious urban palaces, with high ceilings, modern materials and cutting edge architecture.  Many cities take pride in the architecture of these high traffic centers and more and more, numerous airports have also begun to hold art exhibitions and rotating shows in glass cases around the terminals.  John F. Kennedy, San Francisco and many other smaller city airports have commissioned artists to build provocative installations in the spaces.  Design in this public arena can operate as a vehicle for social and cultural dialogue. Whether immigration law, ecology or reflection on security regulation, the topic of an installation can bring cultural values to the forefront.  Barbara Kingsolver once wrote that the artists’ role is to be the canary in the coalmine, and when art is silent it means trouble. It is my goal to design an art installation for these public ‘non-spaces’ that will engage people in a deeply moving way. 

When people travel through airports and other busy public urban environments, they are often rushed and stressed.  In a group discussion about airport security lines, my research discovered the metaphorical comparison that the ritual many current day passengers experience while preparing for traveling is similar to the spiritual and cultural rituals that some ascetics have.  As an example, Gandhi owned only 12 items when he died.  (See Image 1 below).

Image 2 – The twelve items Gandhi owned before he died and a modern day suitcase 

The mental process of getting ready for a flight can parallel the preparation for your own spiritual journey (special packing, special clothes/shoes). There are also many traditions of ancient cultures that send deceased ones to the grave with special swords, weapons and other sacred items to ward of evil spirits. Our culture would strip away everyone’s ability to hold these items sacred.  We have even taken it to the absurd extreme as to take away craft and cuticle scissors. Blending the common set of scissors into ancient symbolism offers a playful and provocative (upon closer inspection) visual cue piquing the viewer’s awareness of modern rituals and rules, while offering a moment of harmony to a busy public space.  This project engages one to see and possibly imagine a myriad of other alternative forms to help feel a sense of belonging and to reclaim the materials they once lost in a security search. 

Placing a large symbol that is an archetype of unity in the collective memory of most cultures, touches people on a subconscious level.   Just like a pure resonant note can shatter a glass, the imprint of the beauty of perfection changes the mind and thoughts of a viewer.  Buddhist monks create large sand Mandalas, sacred geometric circular patterns, believing that as a result of viewing them, an imprint will be left that may help one to find greater compassion, awareness, and a greater sense of well being.  These symbols hold the essence of the macrocosm and microcosm, taking the viewer both inside themselves and outside to the world at large.  Circles bring harmony on an intuitive primal level and this is the language and depth this project speaks and creates from. 

The Confiscated Security Symbols Project uses scissors that were confiscated from passengers and then sold at auction to sellers who re-sell them on e-bay (See Image 2 below).  Currently, seventy-five pounds of recycled scissors from airport excess were purchased for this project from e-bay sellers and it is planned to attend an airport auction for direct purchase of larger quantities of thousands more scissors.  

Image 2 – Bulk confiscated scissors purchased from e-bay 

The two main goals of this fellowship are to complete a solid body of work to exhibit in the gallery during the final weeks and to complete more research about sonic theology, historical use of sound with Yantras and in sacred temples, from both the use of Mantras and older temples designed as acoustic resonators.   I would also continue researching the reoccurrence of sacred geometry and circle shapes in ancient cultures versus and today.  Advertising, pop culture and modern political times have changed the spiritual and ritual value of art.  In Walter Benjamin’s famous essay ‘The Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ he speaks of this shift where ‘mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice – politics.’  Today, modern art critique’s first evaluate the quality of a piece of art on its exhibition value.  My project hope to reverse this function back to Walter Benjamin’s observations and first view the role of art as an instrument of magic and second as an work of art with high exhibition value. 

A larger collection of scissors will be purchased with part of the stipend, along with other materials used to build smaller prototype sculptures.  Gallery size sculptures and installations, which will test and explore different materials, attachments and styles.  These sculptures will be exhibited in the Van Alen exhibition gallery.  Below are some of the current prototypes of construction I have worked on this year. (See image 3 below).

The long-term goal of this project is to build a large-scale installation of thirty feet or more for an airport commission, an airline terminal or another public space.  Building these installations and eventually installing them in modern public spaces, such as airports, would allow a visual dialogue with the symbols that could touch thousands of people.  The result of this fellowship would also allow me to present my iterations, ideas, and prototypes to architects and engineers for collaboration to seamlessly install these works into a final chosen space.   Included below are some digital sketches I drew in 3D with the modeling program SolidWorks and a diagrams to scale in Adobe Illustrator. (See Image 4 below). 

 

My own artistic exploration began with creating mandalas out of found objects and sculptures that reflected my own personal need for boundaries and self-protection.  This focus has shifted away from my personal needs and now looks at these issues on a much broader scale - the scale of our entire nation and even our collective world memory. The concept of how protection has infiltrated our culture now interests me. What makes people feel safe? Security measures at airports? Spiritual support? Something else? What service do physical boundaries provide? 

My research answers this question: What brings a feeling of safety or protection? My own meditation practice profoundly changed me, giving me the ability to heal and to create my own personal definition of protection and boundaries.  Bringing these symbols to the public has a healing affect and helps people feel more uplifted, safe and centered in public spaces.   

Another deliverable, besides the scissor sculptures, is a well-formatted talk or panel discussion.  This discussion covers the historical uses of Sacred Geometry in temple building, Yantras, Mandalas, visual meditation tools and how symmetrical forms in nature all touch upon the universal mystery of perfection. A concept that recently inspires me is how the architecture from the Cistercian Order achieved its visual beauty through designs that conform to the proportional system of musical harmony.  These churches were acoustical resonators that transformed a human choir into celestial music and the founder St Bernard of Clairvaux said of their design, ‘There must be no decoration, only proportion.’  As much of my artistic pursuits have been about decoration, discovering the fundamental template with which the building of temples and Yantra symbols are organized, brings me a new level of understanding of their depth of perfection.

The Yantra comes from Vedic and Hindu cosmology and signifies the cyclical forces in nature, astronomy, and the worship of deities that are given abstract forms.  These forms and their meanings center and ground my current research and life work.  I am passionately drawn to the symmetry and perfection that the circles visual offer. 

Image 5 – Picture 1, Sri Ganash Yantra from http://www.artoflegendindia.com/details/HJAAB003_Shri_Ganesh_Yantra – Picture 2, Mark Pottenger’s planetary mandalas made by tracking with computer algorithm the planetary movement of Jupiter and Uranus from http://www.ccrsdodona.org/m_dilemma/mandalas.html - Picture 3, a diagram of the true stars which are aligned within the Jewish symbol titled ‘Star of David’ from http://www.jesus-kashmir-tomb.com/YantraStarofDavid.html. 

The studio space, publicity, and support of the Van Alen Fellowship would bring the artistic advantage of focus, clarity, and freedom.  A twelve-week residency would allow the necessary space and time to experiment further with different materials and construction options.  This experimental freedom is the foundation for the further success of this project. Through giving a workshop or public talk about this project, the public would be invited to look at the work in progress and dialogue about these important topics of homeland security, monumentality, and collective memory.  The publicity through Van Alen would bring valuable attention to this project to help me reach my professional goal of future collaboration and installation.

confiscated security symbols

My most recent experiment with confiscated airport scissors arranged in cement circles.

how it started...

user diagrams ..beginning of proposal ideas/charts

 

golden ratio (up and coming fibonacci scissor series)

My goal this next few weeks is to draw a diagram in 3D (in solidWorks) of a sculpture I will build out of scissors ...  purposefully, this next concept needs to be at a level of complexity that is beyond the scope, time and measurement of my pen and paper skills.  Drawing a logarithmic spiral that has 55 clockwise spirals overlaed on top of either 34 or 89 counterclockwise spirals will give me a GOLDEN SPIRAL OF SCISSORS.  This I will build out of my confiscated recycled airport scissors.  I will use computer aided design and technology to envision and enable me to build quickly what would have previously taken months and months to calculate and create.

example of fibonacci numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 601

1 + 1 =2,  2 + 1 =3, 2 + 3 =5, 3 + 5 = 8, 5 + 8 =13, 8 + 13 =21, 13 + 21 =34, 21 + 34 =55, 34 + 55 =89

Here are some of the many patterns of the golden spiral that are all around us... macrocosm to microcosm.

inside of the ear 

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page954.html

The Fibonacci numbers are Nature's numbering system. They appear everywhere in Nature, from the leaf arrangement in plants, to the pattern of the florets of a flower, the bracts of a pinecone, or the scales of a pineapple. The Fibonacci numbers are therefore applicable to the growth of every living thing, including a single cell, a grain of wheat, a hive of bees, and even all of mankind.

Stan Grist
 http://www.stangrist.com/fibonacci.htm (E)

The sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers is known as the Fibonacci series: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, ...  (each number is the sum of the previous two).

The ratio of successive pairs tends to the so-called golden section  (GS) - 1.618033989 . . . . . whose reciprocal is 0.618033989 . . . . . so that we have 1/GS = 1 + GS.

The Fibonacci sequence, generated by the rule f1 = f2 = 1 , fn+1 = fn + fn-1, is well known in many different areas of mathematics and science.   However, it is quite amazing that the Fibonacci number patterns occur so frequently in nature ( flowers, shells, plants, leaves, to name a few) that this phenomenon appears to be one of the principal "laws of nature".

text above from: http://www.world-mysteries.com/sci_17.htm

Shri Ganesh Yantra + Star of David + Jupiter and Uranus Mandala

I was looking at the Jupiter to Uranus Planetary Mandala.. from the Planetary Mandalas I was just posting about last .. makes me seriously contemplate the roots of some of the chosen Vedic Yantra patterns.. the geometry is so similar.. an ah ha moment for me! For all the books I have read lately about Yantras .. none of them mention this conclusion and connection to the stars.

I did a bit more google research .. and here you go!!

THE STAR OF DAVID

The Star of David
Solomon's Seal
Astronomy and Pythagorean Mathematics

The Star of David, a six-sided star or hexagramis known among Hebrews today as Mogen David (perhaps similar is Latvian Mi(r)dzina Tauta = the (star) folk sparkles) It was also called Solomon's Seal and consisted of two interlaced triangles.

The Star of David is appropriately called a "STAR" and - in a "very speculative" view - it represents a double-triangulation which "maps"
the position of the major stars of the heavens with the major axis along the Milky Way from Sirius to Aquila.

AND
another website here is calling this Yantra the Shri Ganesh Yantra .. full circle back to Lord Gana .. perfect!!!

some more that I like from the this wesbite: http://www.ccrsdodona.org/m_dilemma/mandalas.html

black twist tie recycled scissor circles

success in the studio today!! 

a form with the scissors and the perfect suggestion from zach to use twist ties to hold them together.

those were photo shopped from these two images ... wanted to get a sense of the complete circle.  I will make the whole thing but I did not have time tonight to finish putting them altogether.

recycled scissors from airport excess.

corporate logos as occult symbols

Today I was searching the internet for corporate symbols that are popular, easily recognizable and people have some sort of familiarity, association or reaction to them.  The corporate meme** is some how felt by viewing the symbol.  I will use these to lead a discussion on how mandalas, circles and yantras create a feeling and hold a space of consciousness.  This is an easier angle to share about then my previous presentation were I bumbled in trying to discuss the types of deities that are used and felt in Vedic and Tantric Yantra ritual. 

examples below of popular symbols from screen shots off the internet.

**meme |mēm|   noun
an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation

            
    
  
     
    

  

row 1(left to right)
Trojan condoms, Nike, BMW,

Chanel Fashion
row 2
Louie Vuitton, BP - British Petroleum,  McDonalds,

the musician Prince
row 3
Olympic games, swastika, deputy sheriff belt buckle,

deer crossing
row 4
6 pointed star, NA - Narcotics Anonymous, celtic cross,

Yin Yang Symbol

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tonight I also came across this awesome post below from this blog: http://illuminatusobservor.blogspot.com
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Corporate Logos as Occult Symbols, The Vesica Piscis

The Vesica Piscis, two interlinked circles, is also known as "the Yoni". The name "yoni" refers to the middle portion of the interlocking circles, is derived from the Sanskrit meaning, "divine passage". That the yoni is the feminine, the yoni should be viewed such that the divine passage becomes a correlation to sex, or male/female union. It is this correlation, and its relation to rebirth and regeneration that remains a basic truth at the very core of Occult structural foundations.

And seeing how "vice" is used as a means to advance and preserve the philosophy, what better vice than that of "materialism", and what better symbol of "materialism" than that of "the MasterCard", which enables materialism beyond many a person's economic means?

However, this symbol is found in many a corporate logo. How about Chanel?

The famed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California?

And of course, KOOL Cigarettes

It is all very cool when you begin to see that things are not as they appear, and the reality of the Construct begins to burst open like a bud before your eyes.

Imagine a clever code for G-d hidden here, in the corporate symbol for Gucci? And some would only see the Vesica Piscis!

Posted by Dennis Fetcho

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a comment from this blog also mentioned:
Other names for it include the mandorla and the marriage symbol, and other advertising examples include double tree hotels, the band "double o," yoga booty ballet, DC shoes, dolce and gabbanna, candlewood sweets, and too many more to list. 

.............in order, I looked them up below

   
         

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and of course.... VANDANA JAIN mandalas ... mandalas made entirely from corporate logos

from  artcodex.org

SECOND LIVES + ManufRactured EXHIBITIONS

 I went to this first show back in October and just now found this awesome post about it.  The pictures and detailed descriptions are much better than I have time to post. This a re-blog from core77.

SECOND LIVES - REMIXING THE ORDINARY

  madmuseum.org

The Museum of Arts and Design inaugurated its new home at Columbus Circle with Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, a special thematic exhibition featuring 51 contemporary artists from 17 countries who transform discarded, commonplace, or valueless objects into extraordinary works of art.

and they also had this exhibit posting:

ManufRactured Exhibition

ManufRactured Exhibition Website

"ManufRactured" is the first exhibition of its kind: a collection of art and design objects created from re-purposed manufactured goods, from zippers and spools of thread to detergent bottles and polystyrene packaging. On display at the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft in Oregon until January 9, 2009. Photographed by Kirill Shelayev (hikirill[at]gmail[dot]com).

"Stacked," "7-Layer Tangle," and "Untitled" by Sonya Clark: combs as structure and textile.

Seen here, three examples of Laura Splan's juxtapositions of the demure and the creepy: machine-knit doilies based on the forms of deadly viruses, fussy wallpaper printed in human blood, and a negligee assembled from liquid facial peel from the artist's skin.


  "Ficciones de un uso" by Livia Marin, an arc of over 2000 lipsticks, each unique in color and sculpted form.

swing swing swing SPACE

words for my Swing Space application that is going out tomorrow via FED EX after final revisions from my helpful teacher, chris prentice.  definitely getting easier to talk about my stuff...
This is one of the the questions below that I am answering and then attaching my 10 images along side for a 3 month work space grant... it will be their first intro to my work. 249 words

Swing Space is a space grant program that connects artists and arts organizations with vacant commercial space downtown. Studio, rehearsal, office, installation, and exhibition space awards are typically for two to four months and are accompanied by a project stipend of $300-$3,000.

WORK SAMPLE DESCRIPTION
Please provide a brief description of the images, introducing the works and providing context for the panel.
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My work is made with found objects, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. My recurrent themes and explorations ask the question - What brings a feeling of safety or protection?  I first began exploring the physical side of boundaries with a miniature suit of armor inspired by the agave plant.  This desert plant survives under extreme circumstances and protects itself with radial pointed leaves.  The shape of the agave inspired me to begin making mandalas, circular forms, with the dried leaves.  The circle signifies perfection and the cyclical forces in nature and many Yantras, geometrical diagrams used in meditation, are made with a combination of circles.  My meditation practice has profoundly changed me, giving me the ability to heal and to focus on the notion of protection on a much larger than personal scale.  I now am working with recycled, confiscated scissors from airport excess and building ancient meditation symbols of them to place into modern airports.  My vision is to place these large-scale installations behind security checkpoints to give a moment of reflection to traveling passengers.  This offers the audience an opportunity to contemplate upon what makes them feel safe, the security measures at airports or spiritual support.  The blending together of scissors and symbols offers a playful and provoking visual cue that brings awareness to modern rituals and rules, while offering a centering solution and harmony to a busy public space.  These images show my past work and a few beginning explorations of my work with scissors. 

TANTRA, MANTRA, YANTRA

from the glossary of Art of Tantra:

Tantra - a text embodying Tantrik tradition, many Hindu examples being in the form of a dialogue between the ultimate Divine Couple, Siva and Sakti.  (Siva: the most important High God of Hinduism, Sakti: 'power', the great Goddess as supreme power)

Mantra - a Sanskrit syllable or group of syllables, used to concentrate cosmic and psychic energies

Yantra - a diagrammatic symbol for a field of energy

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Art of Tantra by Philip Rawson

Here are the most relevant quoted sections I found from Art of Tantra today

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page 64

Related to mantra is 'yantra', a word for which there is not even the remotest parallel in English.  The function of yantra in the sphere of the visible is analogous to that of mantra in the sphere of sound.    

As mantra is a nucleus of sound by means of which cosmic and bodily forces are concentrated into ritual, so yantra is nucleus of the visible and knowable, a linked diagram of lines by means of which visualized energies are concentrated.

Mantra and yantra complement each other, and are used in conjunction.  A yantra may look at first sight like an abstract design.  But what we may call its 'abstraction' is not the effect of its indicating an abstract concept for a mental class-relationship, but of its concentrating concrete, formulated energy.  Its 'patternness', like the stylized syllable of mantra, is the essential  element of its force; its spareness is not the result of generality, but of condensation of energy and content.  IT PROVIDES THE FOCAL FRAMEWORK FOR ACTS OF MEDITATIVE VISUALIZATION.

All Tantra art thus has in it a special element of yantra.  It provides the relatively 'gross' forms which point forwards and evoke the 'subtle' forms of mental imagery, and cannot be mistaken for anything but what they are.  

To use yantra thus involves a continuous meditative dialectic in which content and concentration drive each other to a higher pitch of intensity.  This is one of the ways in which the psyco-cosmic mechanism is worked.

AND IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF TANTRA ART WHICH APPEALS MOST TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BECOME DISILLUSIONED WITH VAPID CONCEPTUALISM OF MUCH MODERN ART.  Tantra knows, and has long used, reductive methods and optical effects.  But it has used them synthetically, to concentrate an emotive and psychic content, not analytically, to refine abstractions whose only meaning is their relation to other abstractions.

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page 69

    definitions from Glossary in Art of Tantra : 

        Devata - Tantrik divine principles (cf. Deva)

        Deva - a divine figure; the root (div) means 'shrine'

        Sadhaka - one who performs acts of ritual, worship and meditation

        Puja - practical worship-cum-ritual

        Subtle body - the structure of channels and knots parallel to but not identical with the human body through which the latter is imbued with its sense of reality

Diagrammatic yantras are usually centered on a single point, the point upon which meditative concentration can gradually gather and fix itself.  'One-pointedness' of concentration is a necessary achievement of any sadhaka before he can even begin to make any progress.  But the yantras illustrated here are also icons, subtle bodies of devatas, bodies from which the gross physical resemblances have been eliminated in favour of the higher, more inclusive imagery of linked energies.  When the mantra-utterances of power inscribed on it are correctly recited the yantra itself becomes infused with the actual presence of devata; its own physical nature lost; the devata, so to speak, floats up to the surface of the physical object and expands within the mind of the sadhaka as a dense complex identity, the presence of which alters his whole nature.

Such yantras may be used alone on single occasions or in series during prolonged meditative rites.  They may be used to invoke the subtle bodies of devatas to receive puja, as an intermediate step between using the gross representational images of male and female and using purely internal images.  In practice, only extremely advanced sadhakas can grasp the true forms implicit in yantra and mantra.  For this reason most ordinary Westerners will not be able to grasp them intellectually; even in India the true nature of yantra is normally kept as a secret which can only be indicated verbally between sadhakas, and is never written down.  Perhaps the most subtle yantras of all are those which provide only a blank space on to which the meditaor has to project his own familiar yantra.

**this last underlined statement reminds me of something I read yesterday in We Make Money Not Art blog that I re-post here:  Once is Nothing, made of 'physically absent' artworks. Once is Nothing is based on a previous show, 'Individual Systems' part of the 2003 edition of the Venice Biennale . Devoid of any art piece, the room is nevertheless supposed to be 'full of memories and history.' The exhibition is a pertinent comment on the impossibility to replicate exactly one exhibition and on the pointless demand for innovation that characterizes most art biennials.  

Once is Nothing
Brussels Biennial 1
19.10.2008-04.01.2009

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page 70

There are, however, certain things which can be explained.  First is the obvious fact that it takes a great deal of time and effort to build up the content of the imagery stored in any yantra-mantra complex.  The realities referred to in condensed patterns of sight and sound can become readily available to the mind only after long practice.  To simplify, it is, in a way like learning an extraordinary complicated alphabet and vocabulary at once.  Then again when a yantra is to be used on any given occasion it takes extreme concentration over a long period of time to build up the presence of the devata by means of the mantra-schemes which are its subtle anatomy.  The subtle devata present in the sadhaka's body may be persuaded by a long yogic process to emerge in subtle form from his nostril, and take up residence in the yantra. 

Second, the general pattern followed by most, if not all, yantras tends to be constant.  Around the perimeters a square pattern of re-entrant 'gates'.  This represents the 'enclosure' within which the meditating self is shut (what Jung called the 'tenemos');  the successive 'sheaths' or stages of inwardness, the multiple outer petals or triangles being occupied by 'grosser' forms of energy, which are absorbed and further concentrated in the less multiplied inner circuits.  The centre is the point where all the original radiating energies are finally focused, usually in a single mantra such as 'Om' or "Klim'.  The mantra-identities in all the basic circuits may also be represented in anthropomorphic shape, as devatas.  In the great Sri Yantra, the most important of all Tantrik yantras, each of the outer triangles is occupied by the devatas, which represent the subdivided energy-self of the Goddess. 

Images from Art of Tantra

more scissors in SolidWorks (+chess set skills)

This is the beginning of my SolidWorks final .. I now have an extension and so I will continue to do more complete drawings and study and improve my SolidWorks skills.  I will add different shapes and colors of scissors and test attachments .. right now they are mated to a piece of glass but I could see using some sort of resin or epoxy or hot glue to adhere them to glass or allow them to freely connect.  This class challenged me greatly but I am glad I stuck with it.  Rewarding in the end!

another assignment from my SolidWorks class that I feel inspired to share here ... a rather modern board

FINAL FALL semester THESIS CRITIQUE feedback

Here is some of the advise & insight I heard from my critique Sunday evening, December 14, 2008.  For 15 minutes I presented this Power Point slide show added below and three gentlemen -Eric Zimmerman, Robert Petriusko, Zach Lieberman gave their 15 minutes of feedback.  We then discussed each persons project in class and I further gathered the thoughts of Colleen and the class.  VERY HELPFUL.

Good practice for me to professionally present to an audience = my class + Colleen + guest critics.

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comments // suggestions // questions

- stick with the materiality of the scissors, stay away from cork background or painted wood .. did not like the target effect.  Research more airport materials and use those.

-let scissors carry the aesthetics of the piece.

- It is a strong enough concept and I do not need to add technology on top of it... moving parts feels like overkill at this point in time. technology feels like a veneer .. how does it integrate technology?  Perhaps with technical drawings + diagrams.

- incorporate the technology into the mock-up and diagrams (which I was already planning to do for my SolidWorks final project for the semester) ... visual outputs.

- plan on showing them only in airports.. that is where they belong and are the strongest.  I can market the drawings and diagrams to art galleries but not recommended to make smaller ones.  GO FOR BIG.

- Recommended to look at the work of artist Christopher Janney airport and other sound/technology installations.

-artist/ design interface is in Installation Artwork where the artist is designing for a space.

-chose carefully what you emphasize with this project - remain aware of airport policies and promotions.

-info graphics to display amount scissors confiscated with X amount of scissors in one display .. 1200 scissors in 42 days.. soomething like this.

-collaborative effort - engineers, designers, airports, commissions - could be many players in the game.

-focus on the site...  choose an airport and design it for the space specifically- for practice and to promote the concept.  Make it look as if it belongs there. 

-ask myself -WHAT IS THE INTERACTION - what I am asking the audience to do or feel?

-where is it in the airport? before security .. after security?

-how it is attached?

-create a physical model of installation - architecture like model to show size, scale and all aspects of experience. 

-what if someone gets something confiscated and then walks throught security and then sees your piece.. what is the range of reactions? how do they feel.  forms of interaction how do those forms make the experience of the airport more safe and responsive. Maybe it proactively deals with irate customers -user centered design principles

eric zimmerman stated - grad school is an opportunity to have DESSERT FOR EVERY MEAL !!  Now is the time to be extravagant and self-indulgent.

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full slide show here with brief explanations about some of the slides - please write me if you have any further questions or would like more of an explanation on a particular slide.

my history of working with found objects, pointed object and working with the theme of personal protection

my personal attraction to circles and then mandalas which lead to reserching other cultures and people who have worked with the same shapes and geometry and interesting materials (the sacred + the profane are one and the same)

previous art pieces of mine that use multiples of objects and my chalk mandala that was very similar to design made by indian women in Kerala, India out of flower petals ... I also spoke about my daily meditation practice and how this has changed my life.  I am much more solid and centered and able to hold more fire!

the progression through out the ages of how people are instinctually comforted by symmetry and then this progressed into sacred geometry when people tried to discover the great mysteries of science and astronomy... measuring the earth from the stars or by land are the only two options as far as measuing sticks go

this slide holds much information .. I briefly mentioned how mandalas and yantras are meditation tools and are symbols of perfection and can hold flavors of consciousnes that can assist people who study and contemplate them .. bringing harmony to a space or mind of the viewer

my experiences and attractions brought me to a place of deciding to use scissors (multiples of recycled and found objects) to make the mandalas - ironic yet simple

this topic and materials perfectly allows me as an artist to tackle and present an idea that is much larger than just my interest... I now speak about topics of protection, spirituality and excess on a global scale .. very exciting to feel the coming together of the personal and transpersonal subject matter

I began researching other art that is found in airports .. here is some .. Evan Roth is a graduate of Parsons.. he created these lasr cut metal plates that can be placed in a back pack before it goes thru security

I spent an afternoon observing and photographing Cleveland International Airport - signage and architecture especially.

I was inspired by recent Jet Blue ads about their new terminal in JFK airport in NYC.. I can see marketing or tailoring part of this project for them.  I will soon make more observations of this terminal.  San Francsico also has great art in their terminals and I will make observations there this next year.