The Whole Story

  

Mission almost accomplished and it is ready for its unveiling.

It will be the first time I have witnessed the unveiling of an unfinished piece. This is not due to lack of time management though, it is unfinished by design.


Circular art has a long history within the psyche of human culture. It can be found in ancient cultures across the globe from the native cultures of the Americas, across the religions of Asia and throughout Europe. Human beings love a circle. It is one of the most natural forms known to us. Nature expresses herself in curves, arcs, coils, circles and spirals. Variations of a circular theme are found from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Our universe is made up of planets, stars, moons and the Sun. On Earth, flowers, buds, tendrils, bubbles, nests and fruit all spherical in shape. The sun rises and sets in a never-ending circle; seasons pass in an annual circle. The cells and atoms that make up everything within the universe are circular.

Psychologists suggest that circles and indeed Mandalas represent wholeness.

"Circles have no beginning or end. They represent the eternal whole and in every culture is an archetypical form representing the Sun, the Earth, the Moon, the universe, and other celestial objects between. Circles are used to suggest familiar objects such as wheels, balls and many kinds of fruit. They suggest well rounded and completeness.

Circles have free movement; they can roll. Shading and lines can enhance this sense of movement in circles. Circles are graceful and their curves are seen as feminine. They are warm, comforting and give a sense of sensuality and love. Their movement suggests energy and power and their completeness suggests the infinite, unity, and harmony.

Circles protect, they endure, they restrict. They confine what’s within and keep things out. They offer safety and connection. Circles suggests community, integrity, and perfection." ( Stephen Bradley)

And so for all these reasons I have chosen to use a Mandala to commemorate all that The Carroll Centre was, is and continues to be. 

So why have I left it unfinished?  It is because a community is made up of the people within it and around it, so I have designed spaces within the artwork for the people of this community to paint themselves. This is so they can represent their commitment, their interdependence, and their ‘being a part of a whole’.

There are 48 people shaped spaces within the artwork. For a donation people are invited to paint themselves or a loved one.

So the project will continue for sometime yet. I am so excited to see what people do within the spaces, to watch them make the art work become a real representation themselves and of a community. Really all I have done is lay the ground work with integrated symbolism to help hold the individual styles together. It is my hope that in the end, it will not only look like the work of a community but it will feel like one, in a way that only a cooperative work of many hands can do. Therefore, this concludes a spirit of togetherness and support, a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

A little about the symbols in the painting;

As with all Mandalas the painting begins and spreads from a single point. A tiny pinprick made with the compass needle, an invisible but essential part of the painting. It represents the intangible, the essence of the community centre.

From this begins the geometric pattern known as the flower of life. The flower of life symbol represents important meaning to many throughout history. The symbol can be found in manuscripts, temples and art throughout cultures around the world, some in Egypt are thought to be at least 6,000 years old.

One of the characteristics of this pattern is that it leads the eye both inwards and outwards and around, so that the individual images are placed within the geometric design. They are constantly being linked and relinked to each other visually as a reminder of the reality of their interdependence. A kaleidoscopic piecing together independent parts to form and reform a whole.

Closest to the centre are the six little houses. A house, as an ideal, is a representation of safety, security and a place to go back to. It is welcoming and provides shelter, warmth, food, advice, support and company.

The next set of images are of young children playing games. It represents the facilities and support provided for young children and their families for both the fun times and the hard times. Balloons and games are fun while they last but the balloon inevitably pops and someone loses in a game. The children are all holding books to represent the centre’s additional function as community library.

The outer circles picture young people looking upwards towards a compass. They wear similar clothes to their younger counterparts found in the inner layer acknowledging the centre’s ability to support children right the way through to adulthood. The gesture of looking upwards implies hope and the compass suggests direction. These images sit next to a rising sun symbolising a new day, a new opportunity, a fresh beginning and the offer of self-development and a brighter future.

All these circles are placed within a hexagon. The shape used by bees in a beehive and a great symbol of community. Around this are 48 people shaped spaces. These will be the most important symbols of the painting. Images that will be filled by the people of the community themselves adding a depth and diversity of character to the art work that could not be attained any other way. These in turn are placed within a circle, another container for the whole. The Circle is placed within a square. Squares, according to Stephen Bradley are stable and trusted shapes, they represent security and stability and they also suggest honesty. In the corners of the square are boats. These symbolise The Carroll Centre as a vessel that carries people on a journey, whether it be a short or long.

As the eye wanders around the picture from house, to people, to boat and back, it unconsciously links all the pictures together and without words manages to tell a short story about what The Carroll Centre does for so many people.