Art for the Temple

How do you make art for the temple?

How do you make art for a temple that is itself a work of art, in a city that is defined by the awe that is its art?

A temple that will hold hope and will hold grief.

A temple at the heart of a place where people seek to wake up and get free.

A place of pilgrimage. That you know is doomed to burn.

I met JWo about 5 years ago. We worked together during my long partnership with BALLE (the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies), now Common Future. Our relationship has only deepened over the years. And this year we saw each other at Burning Man.

But JWo was not just another participant in the impossible experiment that is life in Black Rock City. She was there as part of the Temple Crew. And the art that she had made was the very centerpiece of this year’s temple.

I jumped at the opportunity to interview her, and give you a chance to get to know her. Take a listen!

Bio

J-Wo is a Chinese-American, queer artist based in Oakland, California. 

Art is language. There is the union between message, technical skill, and aesthetic pleasure – that point of unity is art. The necessity and responsibility that the artist holds to communicate and share a way of being, of existing, is even more crucial in the current climate of the world we face today.  It is vital for art - for everything - to have a deep sense of agency and moral, ethical integrity to provide a foundation that our collective evolution can be built upon.

My art captures and reflects multi-sensory inputs - whole being experiences translated into visual imagery, texture, and dimension to communicate personal processing of the environment we all exist within.  An accumulation of experiences, none of which are experienced through singular sensory stimulus, leads to the creation of experiential work, bringing together tactile, visual, auditory sensation to translate surroundings and circumstances into beauty.  Together this can encourage absorption and digestion of the ugly truths - or beautiful truths - that may not be considered.

Although all on our own paths, we, as a humanity, must move forward together towards a harmonious and just world. Art exists to help express our own journey, to spread and understand each other’s place and experiences, and to challenge consciousness.  Art exists to achieve a more enlightened state -- for ourselves individually, and together as a collective. At our best, we will find ourselves in a place where we not only exist, but experience and support each other along a multitude of paths. Where being is not just tolerated but celebrated. Where we see the beauty and value in all around us.

Links

Website: http://www.jwowooty.com/