the nesting project
a group installation
Jivamukti Cafe at the Jivamukti Yoga School
841 Broadway, 2nd floor
December 2009, deadline extended January 15 2010
Inspired by the teachings of David Life and Sharon Gannon, we come together as a community to enrich the creative culture by yoking it with the force of spiritual activism to make a difference in the lives of others.
Artists explore this concept by creating nests similar to the way birds gather objects to build a home. The nests will be on silent auction until January 14, 2010 to raise funds to build actual homes for those animals and humans displaced.
All proceeds will go to HABITAT FOR HUMANITY in Sri Lanka, to aid families without homes still from the Tsunami in 2004, and those living in relief camps in the wake of the Sri Lankan civil war and the NY Audubon, a grassroots community interested in the preservation of wild birds and their habitats in the five boroughs of Manhattan.
Buddha Nest, Linda Scharf
String wire, ceramic buddha sculpture, moss
“While we are in this body, we can always come home to our breath. No matter the outside circumstance in our life, we have that,” says Linda. The Buddha figure, the tree, and the nest can read as themselves and/or can be seen to interact on many other levels. We consider the ideas of freedom, containment, support, flexibility. The nest is very adaptable, as long as the Buddha is seated, the nest will remain balanced. “How like life…”
Starting bid, $40
While we are in this body, we can always come home to our breath. No matter the “outside circumstances” of our life, we have that.
The Nesting Project served as inspiration for many nests for me. This one seems appropriate for the show at the yoga studio - I like the poetic, possibly wordless way that the Buddha figure, the “tree” and the nest can read as themselves and/or can be seen to interact on many levels. We can consider the ideas of freedom, containment, held, supported, flexibility…
After I had the nest done, I heard that the nests needed to be able to hang. Mine had been made to sit on a support. Rethinking the project, I was “forced”/had the opportunity to create a new home for these ideas. I survived, and so did the nest!
This nest is very adaptable because of the materials. If it changes shape/configuration, it’s fine. As long as the buddha figure is well seated, it will be balanced. How like life…
Bio/ Linda Scharf
I’m an artist and handspinner in Boston, MA, USA. I work in many media, and my art is influenced by the body/mind practices of Tai Chi, Yoga, Contact Improvisation and Qigong. You can see more of my work at my site:
Stoneleafmoon/http://stoneleafmoon.com
