SITTING IN SILENCE
A Weekend of Poetic Activism28-29 September, 2024
Curated by Yarda Krampol
As a child, I often retreated into silence in response to perceived unfairness. Raised by busy parents immersed in work and study, much of my formative years were spent under the care of my grandparents. This unconventional upbringing blurred the lines of traditional parent-child dynamics and hindered the development of my sense of personal authority. My silence wasn't a passive coping mechanism or a veiled act of defiance against authority figures; rather, it served as a quiet means of expressing disapproval - a subtle form of resistance, my little secret uprising.
The concept of peaceful protest became my philosophical muse, a form of meditation, and a practice of spiritual anarchism that has endured throughout my life.
The interplay between the mental-emotional ego, the autonomous self, and our silent consciousness struck a deeply resonant chord within me, echoing my apprehensions about the efficacy of activism. It's not about what we think but how we think. It's not about changing the world to a better place. It's about using our energy to make life better for the local community, for the person sitting next to you.
In Mark Losonzs' recent article, the author quotes Michael W. Taft's Anarchist's Guide to Mindfulness: "In a world that is constantly vying for your attention, becoming selective with that attention is an act of rebellion. … To sit, to really sit, is an act of rebellion. It requires you tune out the stimuli demanding your attention. It requires you to upend the traditional values of modern Western culture and stop. It requires you submit your desires to an intention. It is the opposite of what they want, and it flies in the face of all of the ways they've conditioned you. … It provides both individuation and communion. It's also one of the most radical things you can do".
The power of sitting in silence is the kind of rebellion we will explore through collaborative experimentation during our forthcoming exhibition for the Nunhead Art Trail weekend at Project Octagon, nestled within the serene confines of Nunhead Cemetery.
This multidisciplinary exhibition weaves together elements of sculpture, video, performance art, meditation, and poetic resistance. It serves as a platform for articulating diverse perspectives, inviting viewers to engage in a dialogue through the language of art and symbolism as we navigate the enigmatic terrain of silence and solitude.
Text by Yarda Krampol