The artwork I created called Humming Bird Harp is about a profound appreciation I have for a phenonmenon I personally call the "plasticity of perception". Humming Bird Harp is inspired by and dedicated to the beautiful way my eldest daughter revealed her gift of plasticity of perception in her relationship to her harp. Observing her play her harp, my daughter illustrates beautifully how, when you attune to the activating the potential plasticity of perception offers, you empower yourself to overcome what looks to be impossible. To me this plasticity of perception lies at the heart of opening ourselves to a greater consciousness.
Scholars generally agree that consciousness starts with perception, through exactly how we define and create perception is the focus of much debate. There is however a general understanding that perception is primarily sourced through our senses.
Hummingbird Harp as an artwork is a feast of colors and shapes visually, yet there was an underlying consciousness that was permeating how I was creating it. I quickly found myself taking certain recognizable and symbolic forms to convey something deeper that wanted not only visual expression rather also wanted to convey "the feeling of sound".
This was done partly through obvious recognizable and symbolic forms: the harp and musical notes. To convey "the feeling of sound" visually however was much more of an intricate challenge to convey than the mere graphical reproduction of musical instruments. One layer of the elements is about capturing the interaction between the player of the instrument and the instrument itself. The hummingbird represents the musician, in this case my eldest daughter Katherine. The hummingbird is a metaphor for the sound of her essence and how I experienced her as she was playing the harp. It was as if she seemed to be flying yet woven into the setting as if she were one with the instrument. There is a heart and a focal point in the glow of light at the center of the piece surrounded in an opening flower capturing the energy and love she seemed to generate as she played the harp.
Join in...
I invite you to become part of the unfolding consciousness experience and email me about your insights/thoughts/ideas about what this artwork invokes for you.