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@findingonespresencewithclay
This moment will never come back. (2018)
I synchronise my breathing and gestures on the throwing wheel to create presence in my body.
420ml. the volume of my single breath.
I am sitting in silence. All I hear is my breath.
My body is in dialogue with the clay.
A lived moment in time.
My body let go of the passed moment. The lived experience is captured in the clay.
If breath means life how can i ignore it?
Video by Pablo Di Prima
Sitting Meditation on the throwing wheel
Over the course of 10 days I was performing the synchronisation of my breath and gestures in the workshop, with the audience being absent. I would throw circles on the throwing wheel in silence. In one breath only I created clay circles to create presence in my body. Sometimes I would save them as representation of the past moment and sometimes I would drop them, one on top of another, to let go of the lived experience.
One Moment – One Breath
‘One Moment – One Breath’ is part of the project ‘This moment will never come back’. Synchronising my breath and gestures to create circles as representation of the present moment, I activate my body to experience the moment as it is. Aiming to celebrate full presence I use the circle to visualise this very moment in clay.
With 420g of clay slurry which correlates to the volume of my single breath, I paint with both hands, half a circle as I inhale and finishes the circle as I exhale. The clay circle becomes a representation of her state of mind in that present moment. The clay painting is made intuitively in a few minutes, using her energy at this particular moment. Even though unfired, the clay on canvas fixes the moment over time. It records a moment when everything feels in balance. Over the period of one week, I painted again and again circles in one breath on canvas. The layers of the different canvases remain on the wall, reminding us of the moments that have past.
The audience is invited to observe her calm action, experiencing a present moment themselves. Artist and audience are involved with their own inner journey. Even if experienced individually, both become aware of the moment in one way or another.
This moment will never come back
As reaction to the hectic and distracted every day ‘This moment will never come back’ focusses on the here and now. Synchronising my breath and gestures to create circles as representation of the present moment, I activate my body to experience the moment as it is.
This photo series documents a series of performances carried out in some of London’s busiest spaces. Clay dust was slowly released forming a circle around my body, synchronising gesture and breathing.
I inhaled grabbing clay dust from a ceramic bowl. Slowly I then turned around myself, spreading my arm to release the clay dust when exhaling. Just for a moment a circle remains and with it my absent body and a sense of presence. Until the next moment takes it away.
This body of work uses the breath to address presence, the body and time. By choosing performance with artefacts as by-products of the process, I acknowledge the different dimensions of experiences that come from the artist, the audience, the process and the object.
‘This moment will never come back’ is informed by my previous body-clay experiments developed during the studio research project. My work in performance, embodied experiences and ceramic objects investigates how clay can help us be present in our body.
Experiencing extreme temperatures
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #14, Title: Noting Absence (Public Engagement 8)
Performing ‘Absent moments’ in an unheated garage space on the coldest day of the winter in London created a special presence in my body. The cold in the space made me partially loose control over my body. My body took over. My mind would just notice. My fingers moved slowly without much strength. My breathing was deep, trying to create heat in my chest. My face felt stiff, inhaling the cold air to press it back out after filling my body with energetic oxygen. The feet, connected to the ground through a thin leather sole seemed unmovable. The space with its extreme conditions supported the presence created by the cold clay in my hands.
Location: Lincoln Projects, Burlington Camden, 90-94 Baynes Street, London, NW1 0TZ
Duration: 11 December 2017, 7pm to 9pm
A Film by Mustafa Bogã
Pinching a pot
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #14, Title: Noting Absence
Pinching when inhaling, turning when exhaling. A mindful process of pinching a pot and letting go of absent moment. Every time when I became aware of my mind wandering I stopped pinching and dropped the current piece immediately, wishing to let go of all thoughts.
Location: Lincoln Projects, Burlington Camden, 90-94 Baynes Street, London, NW1 0TZ
Duration: 11 December 2017, 7pm to 9pm
A Film by Mustafa Bogã
Breathing clay
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #15, Title: Breathing clay
Sound Sculpture
Listening to synchronised breathing and clay hitting my hands.
So much more than a tactile experience
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #15, Title: Breathing clay
With one preparation of clay balls after another, I started to notice things, I haven’t noticed right away. Being very present during the preparation of the clay balls for my performance I suddenly paid attention to other sensations besides the most obvious one, tactility. I discovered the marks, the clay left in my hands; wet spots on my dry skin. Only visible for a fleeting moment, before dried away. I noticed the rhythmic sound created by the clay hitting my hands. I discovered a new complexity in the experience of preparing.
Photo Credit: Lewis Rushton
When preparation becomes part of the experience
After repeating the pinch pot performance several times, I noticed the meditative effect of the clay ball preparation before the actual performance.
After talking to Chinese Craftsman and a woman who demonstrated a tea ceremony, I understood that preparation is an important part of the actual experience. While every gesture is part of a long trained tradition at the Chinese tea ceremony, my gestures as well as my breathing not only allow me to prepare the clay needed for the performance, but also prepare me and build up my presence before a performance. The preparation becomes part of the experience, part of my presence.
Pinching when inhaling, turning when exhaling
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #14, Title: Noting Absence (Public Engagement 8)
During the group exhibition ‘Standing Block’ organised by ‘Lincoln Projects’ I performed as one of 10 artists ‘Noting Absence’ on 11 December 2017.
‘Noting Absence’ is one of my recent body-clay-experiments in which I was activating the body through pinching pots. Aiming to celebrate full presence I visualised moments in which I was noting my own absence. Every time when I became aware of my mind wandering I stopped pinching and dropped the current piece immediately, wishing to let go of all thoughts. A pinch-pot was saved, only when it was created with me being fully present, meaning body and mind were at the same place during the process.
The audience was invited to join in, and let the clay help them be fully present in their body, while imitating my gestures to mindfully pinch pots and letting go of absent moments. Pinching when inhaling, turning when exhaling. Through this experience one could feel themself in their bodies and re-connect their body with their mind.
Location: Lincoln Projects, Burlington Camden, 90-94 Baynes Street, London, NW1 0TZ
Duration: 11 December 2017, 7pm to 9pm
Participators: ca. 8 to 10
Photo credits: Mustafa Bogã
Noting Absence - Participatory Performance at Lincoln Projects, London
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #14, Title: Noting Absence (Public Engagement 8)
Sharing a connective moment with one member from the participating audience. During the shared experience my presence was intensified by the supportive presence of the body across from me. This moment will never come back.
A Film by Mustafa Bogã
When nothing else matters
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #13, Title: Clay Meditation ‘Breathing with clay’ (Public Engagement 7)
During a clay meditation one can be so present in their body, that the outside world seems to disappear.
Taking a personal moment with clay
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #13, Title: Clay Meditation ‘Breathing with clay’ (Public Engagement 7)
During this engagement piece I invited students from CSM to slow down and take a moment for themselves to meditate with clay. Following 4 steps allowed them to synchronise their breath with their gestures.
Location: Central Saint Martins, London Time: 30 Nov 2017, 16:30 - 17:30 Participants: 7 people, each 3 min - 7min
Feedback: “It was surprisingly effective.” / “Feeling the cold clay in my hands helped to focus my mind.” / “I felt rooted and stable.” / “Focussing on the clay was like being in a silent room. It blocked out the outside world.”
Clay Meditation “Breathing with clay”
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #13, Title: Clay Meditation ‘Breathing with clay’ (Public Engagement 7)
This meditation technique invites you to synchronise your breathing with your gestures. Feel free to close your eyes and let your hands form any shape they want to in clay.
Gestures of the body
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #12, Title: Body Sensations (Public Engagement 6)
After a ‘Mindfulness Workshop’ I asked the students of UAL to take another moment to express what they feel inside their body. They noticed sensations that they expressed with one gesture in clay.
This experiment is a follow up of experiment #10, this time involving an experienced focus group, that learned through meditation practice to focus their attention on the body.
The experiment showed, that starting into the activity after a short meditation creates results that are based on true sensations felt in the body. The participants were able to detect muscle sensations, pain and related emotions. Following their intuition they than were able to find a gesture that expressed their experience within their body best.
Giving the body a voice
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #12, Title: Body Sensations (Public Engagement 6)
Letting out what’s inside the body with one gesture.
1. Closing the eyes.
2. Paying attention to the body and focussing on that part of the body, that asks for attention.
3. Using one gesture to express what was felt in the particular body part.
Location: UAL, Holborn
Participants: 5 Meditation - Mindfulness Students
Duration: 10 min
Clay Meditation “Noting Absence”
From ‘Series of Body-Clay-Experiments’, Element #11, Title: Clay Meditation to go (Public Engagement 5)
This activity is about making yourself aware of the moments, in which you are not present.
Try to pay attention to your body. How do certain parts in your body feel? Your hands, your arms, your shoulders, your breath, your heart… Rest your mind on your body.
Once you are noticing that your mind is wandering and jumping somewhere else, take the clay and play with it. Inhale and exhale while feeling the sensation of the material in your hands.
When you feel ready, put the clay aside and repeat paying attention to your body.
Repeat the activity ‘till you feel, your body and mind are at the same place - in the here and now.
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