Looking into the eyes of another being could be a doorway to draw the attention back into oneself. Inspired by the performance “The Artist is Present” by artist Marina Abramović, here, now, with a humble heart, we would like to hold this space, for things to happen, with their own force. 

Sitting still, we both open up and hold space for each other. Through the silence, the connection and the presence, a direct, intense and real experience opens up between the two beings. One can sense their deep inner self through the reflection from the eyes of another human being. After all, there is no difference - we are all sharing the same needs, desires and sufferings that we all counter in the journey called ‘life’. 

An oriental ink brush and a piece of blank paper will be displayed on the table in front of you. At the very end, it is your choice (invited by Yingge, the artist) to use ONE brush stroke to draw out your feeling/ what you have received or found through your experience. All the ink strokes will be demonstrated during this festival as a collaborative art work.

Background of Oriental Brushwork

In East Asia, brush practice (ink painting/sumie & calligraphy) have always been closely related to mindful art practice and meditation. How you sit, the way you breath and the process when you hold a brush and paint - the practice itself it’s a meditation in motion. By doing brushwork, you learn to be slow and relax, present and focused all at the same time. 

How this works

1. The whole experience will be in science;

2. Participant comes in and sit on the chair in front of the desk; close their eye and sit in science for a few minutes;

3. (bell) when participant hear the bell, please take your time and open your eyes;

4. Eye gazing. Be yourself and keep breathing;

5. Whenever you feel ready, you can pick up the brush in front of you and do your ‘’one stroke presence’’ brush flow, otherwise, you can choose to simply leave the seat quietly.

Anything I need to know

To create a space and field that will best support this experience, this event will be hosted in silence during the whole process. So why not take this opportunity as a retreat for yourself and get ready to listen to that inner voice? 

We will have flyers about this event displayed on site, and our volunteers will be around to support, If you have any questions during the event. During the eye gazing, if you feel any unease, feel free to leave the seat. It’s okay. You can always join back again later.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.