PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Part 1: Before BC Culture Days weekend
During the pandemic, I see a lot of divisiveness in our society and if I look at the root causes, I find thoughts and emotions rooted in fear which are common to all human beings, regardless of age, race, identity, physical ability, etc.
As part of my CreateSpace public art residency, I am inviting people to observe the voices in their heads and pivot those voices into more empowering thoughts.
During the BC Culture Days weekend (September 24-25, 2022), I will cover a tent with dark fabrics and play audio recordings of a collection of people’s worries and fears inside the tent. My idea is to magnify what goes on in our mind and invite people to become more aware of the voices in our head.
I am looking for volunteers of different age, race, identity, language spoken, religion, etc to record audios of their fears and/or worries. The audio recordings will be anonymous. You can also write them down and we will read/record it. To see some of Jeni’s mind chatters, check out this blog post. If you are interested, please contact me at jenichenart@gmail.com
Part 2: Outside of Richmond Cultural Centre During BC Culture Days Weekend (September 24-25, 2022)
During the BC Culture Days weekend, the public are invited to walk through the tent that represents the mind chatters. As they leave the tent, they will face a tree-lined green space which represents opening our heart to the spaciousness of our true-being. People are invited to move to that new space where they will write down the thoughts and emotions they would like to replace their fears with on strings of ribbons and tie these ribbons to a wishing tree.
Part 3: Tapestry of Hope
At the end of the project, I will weave these ribbons into a Tapestry of Hope that represent the choices that we have every moment by choosing to think and act based on love rather than fear.
I love Anita Moorjani’s idea that each of us is a thread in a huge beautiful tapestry and we have the choice to touch another person in a positive way, even in a small way (which could multiply!)
As part of my life journey, I want to learn how to be my most authentic self and live a fulfilling life. As I read books and learn about the teachings of wise people, I found (regardless of the authors’ race, religion or approach to life, etc) this basic common thread:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi*
Purpose of the project:
Matthieu Ricard, a French scientist turned monk (and artist) said:
“Happiness is a skill… they need to be developed. That’s what education is about.”
“It involves understanding which thoughts, words, and actions inevitably lead to pain and which contribute to well being.”
Through this project, I hope to practice and bring awareness to the fear based thinking that divide people. I truly believe that if we can choose to think and act out of love (rather than fear) or just be reminded to appreciate the simple things in our lives, we can be happier with not only ourselves but with each other.
Here’s a list of authors that talk about the voices in our head and how to transform them into more empowering thoughts that contribute to deep and lasting well-being.
*I found this article about the origin of this quote attributed to Gandhi.
To follow the progress of this CreateSpace public art residency, please check out the list of blogs here.
Below pictures are my project site proposal to the City of Richmond:
