bodymaps

"I searched for a reality that was more fully in my possession than the exterior world, and I found it waiting for me in the body house in which I dwell, the realest and clearest reality, I only need to become aware of it in order to project its imprints as fixed focal points onto the picture plane."

— Maria Lassnig

gone gone gone here:

 
 

gone gone gone here is a little hand-bound booklet in limited edition, which came to being in 2020, while in ‘double-isolaton’ (Covid + mat-leave).

Over the course of about a month I drew one ‘body map’ per day along with a few lines of self-assuring mantras and repetitive thoughts that got me through that particular day.

Self-inflicted restrictions were: do this every day, without exception (create one drawing and one written page), and do it without the use of electronic devices, like printing or strict page layouts (in contrast to the precise design work I did/do as a graphic designer).

The result was two slowly but steadily growing stacks of mantras (thoughts) and visual snapshots of my physical state (body), that kept me grounded through these weeks of extreme isolation and overwhelming feelings of my new mother identity. It was my daily proof that I still existed, in body and mind.

A selection of the pages were later copied (page per page, not scanned and printed) and hand-bound, to stay as close as possible to the original inspiration.

Format: ca. 14x22cm, paper, cardboard, linen-thread

originals also exist as single pages:
ca. 11x13.5cm (ink on paper)

 
 

soma – bodymaps in labyrinth

with:

Bea Armstrong, May Guimarães, Matthew Perry, Liz Wurzinger

2020

 
 

The labyrinth walk was used to settle into our physiques through conscious steps and breath. Meditation has always been at the base of the bodymaps practice; and through following a pre-set path, the mind is being prepped for allowing the body to guide, giving it agency to lead.

Curious what would happen if one replaced the canvas/paper, as used in previous exploration, with another body, this work explores how through simple gestures of touch one can transmit one's own sensations (at least in position and intensity) onto another body. It soon became clear that, as the "living canvases" reflected their sensations back onto the painter, a "sensation loop" was created. This was even more apparent when more than 2 people took part in the experiment. A single sensation (eg. itching head, tingling knee, pulsing shoulder) was so able to traverse through an entire group of people until being received back by its original sender, similar to a sensation version of the game Broken Telephone.

By using white suits, which were imitating the idea of plain canvases, we were left with graphic testaments of our sensations after the experiment, bringing the project back to its origins.

The project took on another meaning as it was conducted in the summer of 2020, when covid had taken hold of the entire planet. Social distancing, isolation, protective gear and clothing became the norm of our daily lives. The white suits and masks, the extended arms length distance created through the long brushes, the singular experiences, walking in circles and wanting/needing to feel others have all become already nostalgic metaphors of this particular time in our history, and overlapped with this project partly accidentally, partly out of necessity.

remnants:

28 days:

Format: kraft paper
ca. 1m wide x 14m long
marker, acrylic, pastels,