[Editor’s note: We invited Copenhagen-based artist Sophie Dupont to spend a month with us in NYC. As the final portion of her residency with AFC she produced an image essay on dance and spirituality.]
Leonardo Da Vinci. Circling the square. The circle is the shape traditionally assigned to the heavens and square to the earth. When together, heaven and earth—spirit and matter—are symbolically combined.
Sufi Whirling. A physically active meditation which originated among Sufis.
Loie Fuller (1862-1928) Dancing Serpintine Dance
Bhavacakra - Wheel Of Life. It is believed that the drawing was designed by the Buddha himself in order to help ordinary people understand the Buddhist teachings.
The Double Creator's Star.A diagram of the internal lines of force which hold matter in form. It is a sign seeking permanent enjoyment of abundance.
The Grail. It represents that spiritual path that is between pairs of opposites, between fear and desire, between good and evil.
Oldest type of Labyrinth, Finland.
Shamanism and Animism are traditional belief systems which consider the entire universe to be alive and interconnected. Shamanism in practice is used to heal and enlighten, using ceremonials which can include rhythmic music, mind altering drugs and mythic journeys into the subconscious.
AA Bronson, during the making of “Flesh of My Flesh” in collaboration with Elijah Burgher (photo by Elijah Burgher).
Joseph Beuys adopts the subject position of the shaman to reclaim art's restorative healing powers.
Copper is one of the best physical conductors of electricity and heat and is therefore used for healing and rituals around the world.
"The use of color and simplicity of the lines is so calming for me". Agnes Martin.
Circles on an old Arabic astronomical drawing.
Louise Bourgeois
"I spent long days and nights in the studio seeking that dance which might be the divine expression of the human spirit through the medium of the body’s movement." Isadora Duncan.
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