by atmara | Aug 11, 2011 | Art, TED Talks, Video
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or those of you not familiar with TED Talks here is a brief summery of them from www.ted.com:
“TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer — TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize”
According to www.ted.com:
“Janet Echelman found her true voice as an artist when her paints went missing — which forced her to look to an unorthodox new art material. Now she makes billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge. A transporting 10 minutes of pure creativity.”
“Janet Echelman builds living, breathing sculpture environments that respond to the forces of nature — wind, water and light— and become inviting focal points for civic life.
Exploring the potential of unlikely materials, from fishing net to atomized water particles, Echelman combines ancient craft with cutting-edge technology to create her permanent sculpture at the scale of buildings. Experiential in nature, the result is sculpture that shifts from being an object you look at, to something you can get lost in.”
Enjoy this presentation of this extraordinary work of Janet Echelman.
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by atmara | Aug 8, 2011 | Art, Mandala Monday, Mandalas
Used in many cultures throughout history, mandalas represent one’s personal life journey. Sanskrit for circle, these pieces offer a center for cultural gods, to help guide the user on a path to reach total enlightenment. However, contrary to what many people believe, mandalas are not only used in religion, they are appreciated in nearly every aspect of nature as well.
One can actually view mandalas pretty much everywhere in nature. In trees, plants, vegetables, fruits and animals, any circumstance that allows you to enjoy circles that encompass other patterns provide a mandala to enjoy.
A prime example is the beautiful symmetry offered by a flower. Sunflowers have seedy centers with vibrant petals that radiate outward while the petals of an elegant rose gently fold over one another. This brings new meaning to the taking time to smell the flowers! There are many things in nature to enjoy when one pauses long enough to explore it.
Vegetables are another great example! Sure, you may not relish the thought of slicing an onion but if you take a moment to enjoy the endless supply of circles it offers, you may find yourself cooking with them more often. Other natural mandalas can be observed in brussel sprouts, lettuce and tomatoes. Have you ever taken the time to examine an orange as you peel it? What about a kiwi or a grapefruit? They all offer mandalas.
Want to observe some truly remarkable natural mandalas? Take a stroll through a forest! Tree trunks of any size and every age radiate outward from the center to symbolize the tree’s life cycle. Observe a few pine cones that have fallen on the forest’s floor, notice how the layers flow perfectly from one to another? Turn over a simple wild mushroom and enjoy the mandala that is created around the stem.
Pratheep P S, www.pratheep.com
A large variety of wildlife and sea life offer exceptional examples of mandalas in nature too. The intoxicating design of zebras and tigers are easy examples that most people would recognize but jellyfish, starfish and octopus are great ones as well. A fantastic example of sacred geometry can be seen looking at a killdeer’s eggs as they are often arranged in the nest with the smaller end positioned toward the center.
Nearly everywhere you look around the planet, you are presented with endless possibilities of natural mandalas. There are a never-ending supply of landscapes that capture mandalic geometry, offering energy and spirit. Grand Prismatic Spring boasts eye-catching colors, the Olympic Peninsula houses gorgeous rock formations and a three-dimensional mandala is granted when you explore the Tufa Towers found in the Mono Lake of California.
Grand Prismatic Spring
If you take the time to enjoy every part of nature, you will realize that mandalas are offered as gifts literally all around you. Each one provides its own journey that can help provide a quite meditative moment, allowing you to become one with the planet that offers you such captivating pieces of art. When you do recognize a mandala, you can then use it on your journey to find your center.
Article by Epouna
www.meaningofmandalas.com
Images from Wikimedia Commons
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by atmara | Aug 4, 2011 | Inspiration, TED Talks
For those of you not familiar with TED Talks here is a brief summery of them from www.ted.com:
“TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer — TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize”
According to www.ted.com:
“Actor Thandie Newton tells the story of finding her “otherness” — first, as a child growing up in two distinct cultures, and then as an actor playing with many different selves. A warm, wise talk, fresh from stage at TEDGlobal 2011.”
“Born in England, her mother is Zimbabwean, and Newton is active in nonprofit work across the African continent. In 2008, she visited Mali for a campaign to bring clean water to six African nations, and as a V Day board member, Newton visited the Congo earlier this year to raise awareness of the chronic issue of sexual violence toward women and girls.”
This is an extraordinary talk about Oneness and Awareness, and the constant death and rebirth of the ego self we think we are. Enjoy!
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I look forward to your thoughts and comments!
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