This week’s post is a slight detour from the path we’ve been on lately, but I really wanted to talk about my visit to Observations on Being.
Observations on Being is an art experience developed by Marshmallow Laser Feast for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. Marshmallow Laser Feast is a London-based immersive art collective who’ve worked on projects like Dream - the recent online motion capture-driven performance inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Observations on Being
Mapping the journey of breath from different scientific and cultural perspectives this multisensory narrative of epic proportions uncovers the living worlds both beyond and within us, to reveal the deep and beautiful truths that lie just outside the limits of our perception.
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Observations on Being is a multi-part art experience based at points throughout London Road Cemetery. The setting is actually a really interesting one for an artwork. It’s a beautiful location and very different to any cemetery I’ve visited before - full of winding paths and a variety of non-native trees interspersed with original buildings still standing from its original construction in 1846. There is a noticeable interweaving of nature and humanness present in the space that I presume strongly influenced the themes of the artwork and/or choice of venue.
Described as “seven immersive artworks challenge our ideas of life, death and nature”, the core narrative present throughout the work is that of the interconnected state of all things. Scientific terminology is juxtaposed with emotive language to chart the journeys of life and resources through the ecosystem. The evocative spoken audio pieces throughout highlight “our symbiotic relationship with nature” in a way that appears designed to remind us of our place within the natural world and instil a sense of groundedness within the audience. And it’s for that reason that one note I wrote down as I walked around simply states “this exhibition is my opposite”.
Escapism vs grounding
This dichotomy has been a prominent thought in my life lately. I’m working on a collaborative project at the moment that involves creating a resource intended to aid in reducing anxiety, and as a result the concepts of mindfulness and grounding have become central to the discussion. The general consensus in psychiatry is, as I understand it, grounding good / escapism bad. Mindfulness techniques encourage you to be aware of your body and what your senses are picking up around you. To be mindful is to be present and in touch with the current moment.
This is the absolute exact opposite of how I personally cope with existence (as I’m sure you’re aware by now). I 100% do not want to be reminded of the biological processes that take place to keep me alive. Nope, no thank you. Firmly establishing myself within the experience of feeling not grounded is the most effective way for me to relax when I’m anxious. I let my brain drift out of earthly existence and run through imaginary dimensions. It makes me feel lighter and less burdened by the weighty realities of this world.
It’s interesting to me that this is generally not the way one is meant to cope - escapism is presented as a harmful method of avoidance. Of course there have obviously been years of psychological studies and practice leading us to the informed consensus of today. Yet I know, from my years of personal experience, that it is the best way for me to cope. The existence of endless possibilities and zero true certainty brings me joy and comfort. Hence the existence of this newsletter - unreality is kinda my favourite thing.
This is not to discredit the messages at the heart of Observations on Being, but to reflect on how it made me feel almost uneasy, or certainly somewhat unsettled. I visited the exhibition with a fellow artist who had a much different response - one closer to what I think was intended - a feeling of comfort evoked by the affirmation of her place in the world.
So what do you think? Are you someone who prefers to feel grounded and sure of yourself, or do you like to run away with the fairies? Or maybe you’re a bit of both.
On reflection, I realise I’ve rarely (if ever?) met anyone who feels the same way as I do in this respect, which definitely adds credit to my suspicions that I’m not actually human…
And on that note, catch you in aliens vibing in space if you want to share your thoughts. I’ve not been super active in there lately as I’m swamped with work, but I’ve seen some fabulous discussions taking place.
I like to think that being grounded and mindful helps, but it rather restricts and diminishes ones view of life. I think I prefer the infinite possibilities afforded by your "escapism". If one works from the premise that anything and everything is possible, that provides the most comfort, in my view.