Artist Statement
And always, there is laundry…
Underlying all of the great and tragic events, situated between the cycles of birth and death, are the ordinary moments, the rituals, the mundane tasks and routines that thread through it all, tying together all of humanity. Repetitive, at times dull and boring, often overlooked, it is the ordinariness of life that connects to our human spirit.
As an artist, I am interested in both the meditative and the transformative nature of the ordinary tasks and mundane moments. I see the daily routines and rituals as the process of living. In my practice, I am drawn to the process and the materiality of making art rather than the drive to create a finished product. For me, the joy is in the process, the engagement of my senses, touching and manipulating the material. Just as the simple routines and rituals in life, whether cooking and cleaning, eating and sleeping, walking and breathing, provide a rhythm and balance, the artistic process provides balance and keeps me grounded in the present moment. The ordinariness of life, like the artistic process, is a journey that slowly but inevitably transforms life one moment at a time.
Underlying all of the great and tragic events, situated between the cycles of birth and death, are the ordinary moments, the rituals, the mundane tasks and routines that thread through it all, tying together all of humanity. Repetitive, at times dull and boring, often overlooked, it is the ordinariness of life that connects to our human spirit.
As an artist, I am interested in both the meditative and the transformative nature of the ordinary tasks and mundane moments. I see the daily routines and rituals as the process of living. In my practice, I am drawn to the process and the materiality of making art rather than the drive to create a finished product. For me, the joy is in the process, the engagement of my senses, touching and manipulating the material. Just as the simple routines and rituals in life, whether cooking and cleaning, eating and sleeping, walking and breathing, provide a rhythm and balance, the artistic process provides balance and keeps me grounded in the present moment. The ordinariness of life, like the artistic process, is a journey that slowly but inevitably transforms life one moment at a time.
Shana Moulton
- Shana Moulton website
- Project #4
- Colette Urban Consumer Cyclone
- Janine Antoni
- Kiki Smith Sewing and Drawing
- Anselm Kiefer - Aperiatur Terra gallery tour
- Cremaster cycle website
- Cremaster Cycle (interview with Matthew Barney
- Digital Storytelling
- Dan Eldon - Journals
- Weighing... and Wanting
- Blu - walking
Followers
About Me
Daily Rituals
For project #2 I have photographed daily rituals such as cooking, eating and cleaning. Since my theme is a rather abstract concept, I decided to explore the abstract qualities in the subjects that I photographed, with an emphasis on colour, texture and shape. By freezing each moment and zooming in on its formal aspects, the ordinary transforms into something more, something to contemplate, at times almost transcending its material form. ( This is an idea that I'd like to explore further with access to a better camera.) Observed as a group, the individual moments flow together into a simple narrative.
After I completed the photographs and placed them together on my blog, I noticed the repetition of circular shapes. Circles reflect the cyclical nature of mundane rituals and routines and the repetition inherent in tasks such as washing dishes or cooking a meal. Repetition can be meditative and has the effect of keeping you grounded in the present moment.
After I completed the photographs and placed them together on my blog, I noticed the repetition of circular shapes. Circles reflect the cyclical nature of mundane rituals and routines and the repetition inherent in tasks such as washing dishes or cooking a meal. Repetition can be meditative and has the effect of keeping you grounded in the present moment.
This video is an excellent exemplification the meditative nature of an ordinary mundane task. A white wall being painted black. Watching it I was very much in the moment (just as the painter seemed be) and the little leaps in time served to keep my alert and present. Also, the narrative created by the white wall being transformed to a black wall had me anticipating what was going to happen when the project was complete. Was the painter going to turn around and be all in white? Was the painter going to reveal his/her face? I enjoyed the suspense and then nothing happened and I thought: Of course not! The whole point was to be in the process, in the moment. The unknown ending I was anticipating was the product, the process was the product.
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