States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness

I enjoyed visiting the Wellcome Collection today to see 'States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness'. This exhibition examines perspectives from artists, psychologists, philosophers and neuroscientists to interrogate our understanding of the conscious experience.

Exploring phenomena such as somnambulism, synaesthesia, and disorders of memory and consciousness, the exhibition examines ideas around the nature of consciousness, and in particular what can happen when our typical conscious experience is interrupted, damaged or undermined.

The States of Mind exhibition enables visitors to explore some of the ideas about the nature of consciousness and, in particular, what happens at the ‘edges of consciousness’, when our typical conscious, or unconscious, experience is disrupted or damaged. The exhibition is organised into four areas, each of which explores a different theme related to consciousness: Science & Soul, Sleep & Awake, Language & Memory, Being & Not Being. Each area features objects, artworks and films, exploring the ideas and work of artists, philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists.

'States of Mind: Tracing the edges of consciousness' has featured a series of changing installations. The final one is 'Time Present' by Shona Ilingsworth, from 19 July until 16 October. This powerful installation considers the impact of amnesia and the erasure of individual and cultural memory.

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Sons of Maxwell - The Lighthouse.

Transfiguration: beyond sensorial reality

I was at Christchurch Wanstead for the Mothers' Union Deanery Festival Service today, so was able to see the paintings there by Janet McKay.

These include a commissioned work which is an optical illusion design by Janet and her collaborator Martin Jones which from one perspective depicts the sorrow and pain of Good Friday and from another perspective the joy and glory of Easter Day. In addition, her images Transfiguration, Hypercube 1 and Transfiguration, Hypercube 2 also hang in the church on a temporary basis.

The inspiration for the Hypercube paintings came from early abstraction, P.D. Ouspensky, E. Abbot, C. Hinton, C Bragdon and non euclidean geometry. The paintings and associated animation explore the idea that our physical selves are a vehicle for a consciousness that goes beyond sensorial reality, beyond time and beyond space.


Janet's interests include science, psychology/illusion and ideas of consciousness. She often works with oppositional paired themes such as perception and illusion, human and spiritual, conscious and subconscious, science and religion. Zest for life even through adversity, the humour, and the tears of the human condition is key. Her work uses a mix of media and experimentation with materials is a strong theme throughout.

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Janet McKay and Martin Jones - Hypercube painting and animation.

Post-Denominational Human Consciousness

I received the following Christmas greeting today from Peter Challen which I thought was well worth sharing more widely:

"We have many opportunities and much hard work before us in 2009, as the incarnational resonance of Christmas implies.

The mind-shift required of us in the present global stress challenges us all to set our own lives in the big picture. Here is my attempt, based on Shakepeare's wise quip ' A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' We are in pursuit of inclusive justice and can find leads in many places.

POST DENOMINATIONAL
HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

All things apposite not opposite,
birth emergent out of universe
that reaches always for transcendence
without ever leaving immanence.
Natality easing into life-consciousness,
body in soul, never soul confined to body,
ecumenicity ensuring cosmic inclusiveness,
catholicity providing whole earth identity,
protestation keeping boundaries open,
pentecostal fire retaining enthusiasm,
orthodoxy securing tentative limits,
heterodoxy escape from dogma,
friends awed by inspiration,
and good faith, in all faiths,
offering love, passed on, not back;
pastors as prophets
and prophets pastors too,
in cyclical ceaseless creativity
gift of life eternal.

CODA

Language
being only mundane metaphor,
these terms with any other name
hold just as true
to an ineffable unity in totality,
confined frame containing all being.

Peter Challen 12-08"

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Annie Lennox & Al Green - Put a Little Love in Your Heart.