WHAT ROUTE WILL YOU TAKE? // Reflection of piece // 2020

Project Brief:

Life in Static

adjective

1. lacking in movement, action, or change, especially in an undesirable or uninteresting way. "demand has grown in what was a fairly static market"

2. concerned with bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium.

noun

1. crackling or hissing noises on a telephone, radio, or another telecommunication system." the phone was full of static that sounded distant"

Your task is to respond to the idea of ‘Life in Static’ and to the previous participant’s response 

Each response will be passed down the grapevine, so each work can creatively influence the next. Your response can be made in your chosen art form, another you’d like to explore or even inter-disciplinary art forms.

You have 3 days in which to spend your 24-hours on your response before passing it on through the Wicked Woman grapevine.  

Response:

Ada’s piece provoked me to think about the path I have taken and how at each stage in our life we are present with crossroads I have decided to use this opportunity as a chance to reflect and try and do some inner work.

I was thinking of the best way to show this was to use photos I have taken during lockdown. The walks became my times of comfort and highlighted the sense of adventure that we missed from our usually chaotic lives. Lucky all the pictures I have taken are live which adds a further dimension to the piece. This was a time for my mind to stand still and think, open up and figure out.

I wanted to explore the idea of a crossroads but instead of standing still, walking the around and being static in the mind. We had to carry on and even though we wanted to press fast forward we couldn't we had to look inside for the answers. As life resumes we need to ensure that we embrace all parts of ourselves and continue to ask those questions that creep up on us in times of stillness.

My words:

Sometimes we find that we are lost, following a path that has been made for us.

Yet, we don't remember choosing it! We are at a crossroads without a compass, or a map to guide on our way. But, surely that's what life's about.  Is’t it?

We live in a world full of innovation yet so much fragmentation. 

We are more connected than ever before, yet we are isolated and alone.

This time we had to sit with our thoughts and dig deep 

We had time to ponder on that big question of why?

Disrupted, and couldn’t switch off, so we had no choice but to tune in.

We had to unbury our heads from the sand.

And feel the ground beneath us.

Please keep your distance, There's a Change in the air.

Follow your curiosity  And stop being blissfully unaware.  

And living in autopilot Please it's not a mistake, we have a choice to make.

Life has some hard lessons to learn. 

But, we have to learn things the hard way sometimes.

Because those lessons carry us.

And become part of our armour.

Stop making money the prime focus.

Because time is our most valuable currency is time.

Let's appreciate our surrounds and find beauty in the imperfections.

Live is the journey, not the destination.

So, enjoy each little moment.

We are done waiting for change! 

There is a shift in the air. 

Static to me is a feeling, a feeling that we all get sometimes.

But this time it was different.

We were forced to take a breath and find our feet.

Through this situation, we too had to think, prioritise and figure out the big stuff.

We saw communities rallying against division,

and preaching kindness as there new mission.

It feels like both a multicultural masterclass,

and a response to a certain time in history that we are facing.

We are all one, and too often our differences can divide us.

But, we need to realise there's so much common ground to connect us.

The power of hate is that it tears us apart. 

But, the beauty of love is that it brings us together.

We are all products of choices made before us and we don't make the same mistakes twice.

Collectively we had to stop

But, Why did it take something so big to make us!

Ultimately you have no one but yourself to guide the way.

And it's up to you which way you turn

So, what route will you take?

Reflection:

I felt this project made me reflect and think about the routes we plan rather than going with the flow. We are often looking forward and this was a chance to look back and ground myself. I hope that others take some of the answers I have found to help them with embracing our new normal and remember that life in static will change our perspective forever.

As creatives, we have roles to play and sometimes we are given roles because we can do them. This experience gave me faith in myself that I alone can create and sometimes I need to step out of the box I have put myself in!