ENLIGHTENMENT MACHINE – 12 EXERCISES
Photo Paula Tella
ENLIGHTENMENT MACHINE – 12 EXERCISES
The Other Spaces Live Art group has become renowned for its performative enactments, where it embodies more-than-human phenomena and states. This time, the transformative exercises the group has developed study the most heightened form of human experience, the enlightenment.
Traditionally, that state of spiritual perfection has been described by words like awakening, happiness, freedom, joy, freedom, serenity, compassion, equality, emptiness, and wholeness, and it has been searched for within different traditions of meditation. All meditation is based on certain body techniques, which often are strictly codified and hard to learn and practice. At the same time, everyone has every now and then insightful moment, which, like enlightenment, may have a deep impact on a person´s life. Those ”little enlightenments” may occur for instance in nature, in art, while making love, giving birth, being drunk, or in other exceptional or extreme states.
Enlightenment Machine focuses on those momentary experiences, trying to find simple technical means for producing them alone or together, and over again. Could the spiritual quest become a matter of a new kind of imagination, experimentation, play and common invention? How to make it accessible and practicable for all?
Enlightenment Machine calls for the update of the modes of spiritual ascesis without banalizing them. At the same time, it challenges us to ponder our relation to the contemporary enlightenment industry, which works in conformity with the self-centered performance economy.
COMING UP
At this stage, the process will lead up to a work-in-progress demonstration and a workshop taking place at Merimelojien maja (“the Clubhouse of the kayakers”), Merikannontie 10, Helsinki.
Both events are free of charge and the event language is Finnish.
The demonstrations will take place
on Friday 5 May, from 17–19, and on Saturday 6 May, from 14–16. The public workshop, where people are invited to try out the techniques
and exercises of the demonstrations, will be arranged on Sunday 7 May from 13–16.
Workshop participation requires enrolment. One can enroll either at the occasion of the demonstration or by email at info@toisissatiloissa.net
For further inquiries, please contact
esa.kirkkopelto@uniarts.fi
Warm welcome!
THE WORKING GROUP
Artistic planning and execution:
Esa Kirkkopelto
Ilmari Kortelainen
Minja Mertanen
Paula Tella
The experts consulted:
Gabriele Goria
Anna-Kaisa Hirvanen
Johanna Korhonen
Production:
Paula Tella, Hanna Romo and Aino Ojanen
Kiitos!
Pekka Airaksinen, Heli Mäkinen, Elsa Tella, Karen Terzano,
Tavallinen mieli retreat centre ja Zodiak – Centre for New Dance. Simo Kellokumpu – Thank you for exercise-inspiration!
The project is supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland and Samuel Huber Art Foundation.
