BILLBOARDS FOR INSTANT RELEASE
work series METANOIA** – The Peace Mechanism
Video and sound.
Duration: 49” to be played in a loop
Sound: recorded by the artist
Year: 2021
Presentation: Wall projection (monitor), speakers (headphones)
“I found myself thinking: we need to know more about how peace is done. I mean really, done. Not how politicians’ posture, demand and concede. Not how people tolerate each other by muffling their disagreements and turning the blind eye to their injustices. but how some ordinary people arrange to fill the space between their national differences with words in place of bullets. what do they say to each other then?” Cynthia Cockburn in “The Space Between Us”
Drawing upon ancient Hawaii wisdom and tradition Nina Sumarac transposes this faraway mantra* of reconciliation upon our cacophonous contemporary me-first mind. The Hawaiian intuition holds that negative energy is trapped in our cells our self-isolating thoughts. Collectively these vibes create war, violence, crime and misery. Meditating on the mantra releases us from our self-imposed isolation, blame, friction and distance bringing mankind back into harmony with itself. In short, the simple mantra touches upon the universal need for healing that starts with one’s own responsibility – be it personal or social. Paradoxically the mantra can also be viewed as a naïve esoteric value system that treats social and political strife as mere psychological discord resolvable by goodwill and purity of heart. Finally, using the hitherto consumerist medium of billboards as a stage for reflection upon our over-loaded minds and our dysfunctional system creates a cognitive dissonance that cannot be ignored: love it or hate it the medium not only is the message, but the message also becomes a medium.
Text by Costa Constantinides, MSc Counselling Psychology & BA in communications/political science with a minor in philosophy; writer, visionary, counsellor, constructive critic and activist.
* Inspiration for the Metanoia series of works found in the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness came from, Ho`o ponopono, which reads: “I love you. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.”
** Many understand the term repentance means “turning from sin.” The meaning of "Repentance" comes from the Greek word metanoia which means “to change one’s mind; transformative change of heart; especially: a spiritual conversion”. The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.
The key programs of human behaviour are habit patterns of mind and body. You can change yourself using pattern interrupts, conditioning, visualization and affirmations, or by acting as if the change has already occurred. The power of the advertisement and the seductive power of smart easy-to-use modern kinds of machines are powerful mind-controlling programs.
Exhibitions:
2021 “IT NEVER HAPPENED!”, an Exhibition dedicated to the centenary of the publication of
the avant-garde magazine Zenit. Curators: Milica Lapčević, Milos Peskir, Dusan Radovanovic,
Neda Kovinic. Old Cinema Balkan, Belgrade, Serbia.
2021 STATE OF EMERGENCY -The 90th Autumn Exhibition of ULUS Art Pavilion "Cvijeta Zuzorić", Belgrade
Curators: Dr Jelena Stojanović i Dr Dejan Sretenović
Bilbordi za Trenutno Olaksanje.
Deo serijala METANOIA** - Mirovni Mehanizam
Video
Trajanje: 49” to be played in a loop
Godina: 2020
Zvucni zapis: umetnik
„Nadjoh sebe kako razmišljam: moramo znati više o tome kako se stvara mir. Mislim stvarno stvara. Ne kako drže, zahtevaju i ustupaju političari. Ne kako ljudi tolerišu jedni druge prigušivanjem nesuglasica i zatvaranjem oka na svoje nepravde. Nego kako se neki obični ljudi dogovaraju da prostor između svojih nacionalnih razlika ispune rečima umesto metaka. šta onda kažu jedni drugima? “Cynthia Cockburn u knjizi “Prostor između nas”
Oslanjajući se na drevnu havajsku mudrost i tradiciju, Nina Sumarac transponuje daleku mantru* pomirenja sa našim kakofonskim savremenim Ja-Prvi umom. Havajska mudrost drži da je negativna energija zarobljena u našim ćelijama, našim samoizolujućim mislima. Ove vibracije zajedno stvaraju agresiju, nasilje, zločin, bedu i rat. Meditiranje mantrom oslobađa nas samo-nametnute krivice, neskladnosti i otudjenosti vraćajući čovečanstvo u sklad sa sobom. Ukratko, jednostavna mantra dotiče se univerzalne potrebe za lečenjem koja započinje sopstvenom odgovornošću - bila ona lična ili društvena. Paradoksalno, mantra se može posmatrati i kao naivni ezoterični sistem vrednosti koji društveni i politički sukob tretira kao puki psihološki nesklad koji se rešava dobrom voljom i čistotom srca. Konačno, korišćenje dotadašnjeg potrošačkog medija bilborda kao pozornice za razmišljanje o našim preopterećenim umovima i našem nefunkcionalnom sistemu stvara kognitivnu disonancu koja se ne može zanemariti: volite ga ili mrzite, medij ne samo da je poruka, već i poruka postaje medijum.
Text: Costa Constantinides, MSc Counselling Psychology & BA in communications/political science with a minor in philosophy; writer, visionary, counsellor, constructive critic and activist.
* Koncept I serial radova “Mirovni Mehanizm” je inspirisana drevnom havajskom praksom pomirenja i opraštanja, Ho`o ponopono* koja glasi: „Volim te. Žao mi je. Molim Vas da mi oprostite. Hvala vam."
** Metanoia - Mnogi razumeju da izraz “pokajanje” znači „okretanje od greha“. Pokajanje dolazi od grčke reči metanoia koja znači „promeniti mišljenje; transformativna promena srca; posebno: duhovno obraćenje “. Potpuna biblijska definicija pokajanja je promena mišljenja koja rezultira promenom delovanja.
