Creative mind + perceiving mind + meditative mind
Project: Design Media Arts at UCLA

In "Buddha Mind in Contemporary Art," Jacquelynn Bass and Mary Jane Jacob see as the primary aim of their book is to elucidate the common ground between the creative mind, the perceiving mind and the meditative mind.

They begin by studying the influence of Buddhism in American (United States, not the entire continent) culture and specifically in contemporary art-making.

Works by the following artists are discussed in the book:

Mariko Mori, Bill Viola, John Cage, Ernesto Pujol, Ann Hamilton, Duchamp, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Marina Abramovic, Sanford Biggers, Kimsooja, and Shang Huan among many others.


On page 41, they write:

"2. Humans as a part of humanity.
...Who has not been moved, perhaps life-changingly, by the visual images or narratives of other humans—even fictional ones? We don't particularly need a contemplative exercise to get in touch with the feelings of connectedness to other humans, do we?" ... As Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh writes:

Look deeply: I arrive in every second...
.....
I am the frog swimming happily in the
clear water of the pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who,
approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly
weapons in Uganda...
.....

Bill Viola's work follows


Ann Hamilton work:


Kimsooja work:


Mariko Mori work:


Zhang Huan work:

Fri, May 23, 2008  Permanent link
Categories: art, meditation, humans
Sent to project: Design Media Arts at UCLA

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