Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells up.
Kabir says: “Listen to me, my Friend! My beloved Lord is within.”
-Kabir
The Earthen Vessel Series (2010 to present) explores the relationship between physical suffering and creative energy. My subjects are real people whose lives profoundly influence me. People like Hildegard of Bingen, a charismatic 12th century abbess and Beethoven are mapmakers for creativity in the face of great sorrow and suffering.
I rip open each of my subjects to explore the Source of the creative process. Using their physical form and personal histories, I explore the body as a vessel for creative energy. It is through our wounds that this energy flows into the world and ultimately transforms bringing joy where there was only sorrow. Thus the body serves as a nexus point where matter and energy are merged demonstrating that creativity is a process of deep healing.
Note: Each figure is displayed on a pained pedestal which presents key moments from the life of my subject. Some of the pedestals are still in progress.
Sybil Archibald: Art of the Spirit
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