Space A Artist Residency, Nepal
In July 2022, I was selected for a residency program at Space A Nepal and spent a month on an exploratory journey to broaden my contemporary art practice through spirituality.
I was looking forward to being influenced by Nepali culture and to experience the humility that comes with Buddhist teachings. Late Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh had been my favourite author and a major influence in my outlook towards life. Through his books I grew an interest in learning about mindfulness. I set a few personal goals for myself during this residency but I would have never expected it to put me on the path that it did later.
A few weeks before the residency, I purchased an instrument called the steel-tongue drum. A melodious sounding instrument that is played in a percussive manner with the fingertips or mallets. During the Nepal trip, I wanted to deepen my connection with this instrument and begin to learn about myself through this tool.
Mesmerised by the art, artisans, culture and nature in Nepal, I was very inspired to get experimental. In the first week I created a video exploring the city and made music for it with my instrument.
Through Space A, I was introduced to Nepali visual artist Bhushan who turned into a close friend. We shared a lot in common, went on hikes and took part in many musical sessions.
Bhushan also helped organise a studio space on a hill, along with a few musician friends. I loved watching people attempting to play the drum for the first time. It felt very child-like and pure. Among breathtaking views and very warm company, I was constantly shooting clips with my video camera that I later compiled in the video 'Illuminated in Nepal'. The title because it genuinely felt like an experience full of light, highlighting the how giving and hospitable people can be.
Back at the Space A studio, I was experimenting with coloured ink drawings. After an ink spill incident, instead of cleaning up, I started to play with the ink spilt on the table realising this is the first time in over a decade that I am drawing with my fingertip. I started to value the direct connection with ink, the purpose of the drawing being how my sense of touch interacts and glides along with this medium. Often you need to unlearn a technique to reconnect with your senses, which a philosophy of slow living as well. I created a series of these fingertip ink drawings.
At the end of my residency, Space A helped me organise an open studio event where I displayed drawings that I created during my stay in Nepal. I decided to call the event 'Mind Spaces' as my stay was an introspective journey heavily inspired by the spaces around me. There was a music session organised with the attendees as a tribute to the tunes and memories created from this trip. I am grateful for this experience and thankful to Space A for introducing me to some amazing people.
After this residency, I began to put more energy into my music and sound experiments.