Seven in 3434

Another thing i worked on during this time "away" was to learn how to string a bunch of jpegs together to make a wmv file. really, i'm not sure why, but it's somehow not as simple as it should be. i am happy tho, with the 1st piece i finished, which was submitted to the UICA (www.UICA.org).

(Thank you, Betsy, for showing me the secret of CS2 animation! I look forward to making more vids!)

it's also about Mary and Guanyin. In fact, have I mentioned how I got "stuck" on this discourse? This statement on the video piece explains it:

“Seven in 3434” resulted from my investigation of the similarities and cultural significance and practices of Catholic Marian devotion and Buddhist worship of the Goddess of Mercy. The examination began several years ago, after sorting through my grandmother's belonging for cremation. Then, it was a personal spiritual exercise to reconcile the religion (Catholicism) in which I was brought up and the lifelong devotion (Buddhism) of the woman who raised me. Gradually, the concepts behind my art expanded and circled back to discourse and themes of tradition, femininity and of seeking meaning.

“Seven” represents the seven Stations in the Via Matris Dolorosa, a Lenten devotional practice from the Middle Age initiated by the Servites - seven Italian friars who devoted their lives as Servants of Mary. 3434 are the number of words copied from the liturgical service, which included seven Hail Mary’s and seven gospel passages. The duration of the piece is just over seven minutes.

While visiting Buddhist temples, I heard recorded loops of chanted prayers. They reminded me of perpetual novenas. While Guanyin is about hearing the suffering of the world, perhaps because of the miraculous tears from the eyes of statues and icons, to me, Mary is about seeing. One of the words repeated in the 3434 frames is “misericordia”, which is translated as “loving-kindness”. In Buddhism, it is “Mettā”. The practice of good will, kindness and benevolence towards oneself, one’s loved ones, strangers, enemies and all sentient beings can even be exercised in solitary silence. One Stanford University study suggests that a 7 minute loving-kindness meditation can increase social connectedness.

In essence, “Seven in 3434” also corresponds with my goal to instigate both external and internal change through my work. The digital and time-based nature of this piece is in harmony with my sustainable studio practice.

Here's the final draft of the vid:



copyright 2011, Alexandra Lee (ATYL)