Human and land

A famous Zen master, Daisetsu Suzuki, wrote an essay in 1930’s about his worry toward the uaban life. He said when people start living an apartment and have no contact with lands, people stop caring surrounding. He concluded that one must maintain the contact with lands, in order to understand the interconnection of the universe. I was ammused that he said this in 1930.

Yesterday and today, I was digging holes to place trees as a flag poles.

There was a thunder storm at the midnight. I was looking at lightning for a hour at 1am till 2pm.

I noticed the clear difference of the hardness of the ground before and after the rain next day. This might not news to you if you were a framer of a gardener, but I was enjoying the fact I physically experienced the differences, and in fact I posses the knowledge of people who work with lands. As I was digging holes, setting up flags, looking at the movement of wishing flags, and imagining winds carry away all wishes, I was also thinking of all the people who would dig ground, like coffee farmers in Guatemala. I was imagining their lands, their sweats, their lives. With my action, I share the solidarity with them. I am aware that I am romanticizing, but my sweat is also real. By working on the field, I become one of them. I was also thinking of the time I buried dead puppies that my dog had. I had a collie, named Lassie when I was a teenager. Collies tend to have large number of puppies at the same time, and sometimes few were born with much undeveloped state like Kangaroo babies. Once Lassie had 11 puppies, but four were born prematurely and did not survive. I dag small holes and buried them. I had a joyful time with survived 7 puppies, but I also remember the sad moment. Dogs can cry. I saw tears in Lassie’s eyes when she noticed those puppies were not moving.

There was another thunderstorm this late afternoon. I was reading the air, guessing when the rain starts. Many people had commented me that they feel sorry that I had to work under such hot weather. Yes, it is hot out here, my bandana is completely soaked, and even my leather belt is drenched, but the truth is that I am totally enjoying being out side, listening sounds that woods makes, feeling breeze, noticing both sunlight and shades, observing small changes in my surrounding. I am making the connection to the land. I have a good feeling with my piece.

Back in Annmarie groove

I arrive Annmarie two days ago, and I am happy to be back in my creation mode. My friend Luis told me a one technique that I found effective to get back to the creative state after a break; playing the exact music when you stooped. ( happened to be "Fernando" by ABBA) I suppose you can use another sensory method like using same luminous or same scent.

First thing I did was to check out the condition of the installation, which was totally fine after all weather elements. Also, I reset up the studio area, and then start working on re-calibrating well used stamps for flag making. It took me a full day to clean up, re-carve all stamps, and I made a few new. I was at the flag making station this weekend, and I met a girl who wishes for a pink duck. So far I had made a dog, a cat, fish, a dinosaur and now two duck stamps for those who wants to have pets. I still need to make horse and hamster.

I have read all wishes. One common wish is finding a cure for certain diseases. One wish I got today was saying " do not get very sick again"and it was wrote by a child. May the wind grants this child wish. One lady was bit choked while writing her wish for a cure. Perhaps writing reminded her someone who has or had the condition. I hope my project can take off some weight from her mind.

Now I have a good stuck of flags made by guests. I will start incorporating them to my installation piece very soon.

Many stamps

I have been making many stamps for guests to create their wishing flags. I made around 20, big and small, include an image of my cat, Sano, that I made yesterday. She has been showing up my creation.

Mandala project: Purification ritual

It always rains in the early stage of making my Mandala. And it is not just little drops. I expect thunderstorms. And it happened again, here in Annmarie. When the rain storm pounded on my installation ground, I took it as that was the sign that I was successfully communicated to the universe and it approved my intention, and the ground was blessed and purified. Of course one can argue it was a just a matter of humidity, pressure, and temperature, but I knew something.

(Colors intensified after the rain.)

Wishing Mandala

I am here as an artist in resident at Annmarie sculpture park and art center to lead their summer public art program. I will be making an environmental art installation, New Mandala with natural found objects that reflect the locality of my current surroundings, Southern Maryland, with “Wishing Flag” component that the visitors of the garden will participate. This will be my 5th outside Mandala, 6th total Mandala piece I created.

First outside Mandala at Djerassi residency, Woodside, CA.

Every new Mandala has been evolved from previous version. And here in Annmarie, I can sense that I will be achieving to the next level. For last 3 days I am researching the new elements to the piece. I always wanted to make my piece more 3 dimensional. My last piece, Wetland Mandala, at Oysterville, Washington State, courtesy of the Espy foundation, was the first one which has significant height element.

I could have certainly repeated that structure, however I wanted to make it different off course. And I found the way. By using monofilament and ropes, I will create the visual walls in 4 directions that will have the illusion of mass when one sees it from the distance.
Another new elements to the “Wising Mandala” (working title, maybe Spider Mandala is better since I am putting strings everywhere) is “Wishing Flag” element. Public is asked to create a flag that they write their wishes on and decollate with their drawing and stamps that I carved.

The idea is that the wind carries out their wishes to the universe as like a Tibetan prayer flag.

The project is going forward!!

More photo of my mandala:
www.junart.net
flickr page

Annmarie Day 9, Bobby, The Flying Tortoise

Flying Tortoise at Annmarie.
It is amazing to be so digitized at the residency. My first residency in 2002, I used to bring all CDs. (I think I-pod did not exist yet.) I used calling cards and a payphone. I used a film camera. (I changed all digital around 2004.)
Here at Annmarie sculpture garden and art center, I can get wi-fi as long as I am near at the main building, and if I am out of length, I can use tethering method, which is rather temperamental and slow, but I can get online. (Or I can just use my droid for basic internet stuff.) So, now I just need to get a solar panel charger. (My inner gadget boy is calling....)
So, here is another installment of my video project...A tortoise, Bobby,is flying over Annmarie.

Annmarie Day 6

I edited a little time laps video that I shot on day 2.