METAMORPHOSIS (…pathless land…)
Metamorphosis (…pathless land…). A collaborative journey begun in 2020 between four artists (two visual artists and two musicians / writers).
This project is a collaboration, first initiated by an ArtNet dlr Metamorphosis project, 2020-2022. We worked together during the two first, intense years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our work represents our own metamorphic process through the Covid lockdowns, exploring the potential, process and transformative power of these times.
Unable to meet in person, we met regularly on Zoom, and through a WhatsApp chat, sharing thoughts, images, sounds and videos as well as links to other sources which resonated with us on the theme of Metamorphosis. The pandemic allowed us to go inwards; to draw on our inner resources and chart internal changes – the ‘pathless land’ of the title.
We spent time where we could in nature, and natural cycles became an inspiration, as well as the concept of creating collections from nature, so beloved of the Victorians. We honed in on four key words or concepts: seed, egg, meander and feminine energy, which we each followed in our own way, creating sketches and, ultimately, finished pieces, which come together in a Victorian Hang.
In the late spring of 2021 we honed our ideas and brought together the final piece – a ‘Victorian hang’ of visual imagery plus a 30-minute soundtrack in 4 parts. The soundtrack can be listened to in its entirety, as a meditative experience, in conjunction with the visual images, and media work.
The work records our response to the times we were living through, and our dialogues as we got to know each other. By the end, each one of us had contributed both visual and audio work to the final piece: a wonderful alchemy that leaves us all richer both as creative artists and as human beings.
The title, ‘…pathless land…’ is a reference to J. Krishnamurti’s famous 1929 speech, ‘Truth is a Pathless Land’, in which he rejects the role of spiritual leader or guru.
Our audio-visual work represents our own metamorphosis, individually, and collectively, through the ‘pathless land’ of 2020 and 2021, sharing ideas in words and pictures on WhatsApp, letting the metamorphosis find its own journey. We focused on four concepts: seed, egg, meander and feminine energy, to co-create a ‘Victorian hang’ of images, with a soundtrack, to represent the potential, process and transformative power of this time and our ongoing journey through it.
For contact details, and more about the artists, see our ‘Collaborative Creators‘ section.
A collaboration between Eleanor Dawson, Ashleigh Downey, Sylvia Hill, & Justyna Kosmulska.
Two musicians, a visual artist, and an ecological artist with a socially engaged practice.
