This sculpture is part of my BFA exhibit and has been a long time in the making. The inspiration for this piece has been with me for quite some time, though I did not know how it would manifest. When I first returned to college to pursue my BFA, I was what you would call technology challenged. I hadn't fallen into the trap of being eternally connected all the time. I quickly learned that technology is everywhere on a college campus. You communicate with your professors, utilize the library, even take tests and classes online. I thought I would pass out when I realized I had to pass a math test, a subject I hadn't utilized much in 25 years, and it was on the computer. I watched students walking on campus, talking and texting, sometimes to their demise, almost clutching their devices like security blankets. I was sitting on a bench enjoying a beautiful day, butterflies and flowers all around, and the people around me barely noticed. They were in the world but disconnected from it, in favor of a virtual one. Like Pavlov's dogs, that little red notification sends us into a panic that we might be missing something, and we absolutely have to check it. We admire and show off our new devices like little golden idols, and we are never without them. Now don't get me wrong, I am not anti-technology; technology brings us amazing things and makes our lives better in a multitude of ways, but I do believe we need balance and some restraint.
This fascination with being plugged-in lures us into a false sense that we are multitasking and accomplishing more, when the by-product is mediocrity and distracted attention. We are never truly present in the moment and aware and focused. Our brains are not still; they are a cacophony of information ... and as Einstein once said, "Information is not knowledge." The zen Buddhist koan "swallowing the ocean in a single gulp" refers to a state of awareness when you are so present and focused in the moment the idea of "you" as separate fades away. You begin to sense that you are one with everything, that you could swallow the ocean, because you are the ocean: it is contained inside you.
I utilized the lotus asana pose in the sculpture. The symbolism points to purity of consciousness and the journey of transformation from ignorance to awakening. Each hand suggests a mudra, a symbolic hand position, which is in conflict with the technology held within it. The Vitarka mudra represents intellectual debate and reflects our need for further discussion on how to achieve balance. The Dhyana mudra is a gesture of meditation and balance. This pose is referenced in the hands that are texting to highlight the contradiction.
I utilized the lotus asana pose in the sculpture. The symbolism points to purity of consciousness and the journey of transformation from ignorance to awakening. Each hand suggests a mudra, a symbolic hand position, which is in conflict with the technology held within it. The Vitarka mudra represents intellectual debate and reflects our need for further discussion on how to achieve balance. The Dhyana mudra is a gesture of meditation and balance. This pose is referenced in the hands that are texting to highlight the contradiction.
The Abhaya mudra is a gesture of reassurance and means "have no fear." It is reflected in the hand taking the "selfie" but turned inward. This suggests that the "selfie" is the ultimate expression of insecurity and fear of how our appearance is perceived. The hand reaching towards the computer is reminiscent of the Bhumisparsha mudra that calls the earth to witness Buddha's enlightenment. In this instance, it is utilized to point to our obsession with a virtual world. The last hand is empty, palm up. The serene and blissful look on the face of the goddess symbolizes the moment she realizes she can be present in the moment and that a lot can be learned by simply being and contemplating stillness and emptiness.
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