Yogi Stupa
The installation is a collective heart of an ongoing crisscross of lifetimes, cultures, and generations. Inspired by the artistʼs yoga visit to The Great Stupa in Clement Town, India, that was constructed by Tibetan monks as a place for people to go to pray for world peace.
For example, observing the navel area of this Yogi: the direction of skin and hair growth movement is downwards, from the upper torso towards the navel, where all directions converge. Additionally, there’s a more energetic pattern coming into the center from the right than from the left.
The patterns are like fingerprints, each person's torso possesses a unique pattern. What might create the pattern on a body's surface...a particular physical practice? Genetics? Temperament? Posture? Age? Trauma? Happiness? The soul pushing up against the inside layer of skin?
Skin patterns can sweep from right to left, or visa versa; some bodies have scars visible only on the plaster body cast but not on the flesh. A few, but not all, reveal an upwards moving fountain pattern that connects navel to heart.