“The nitrogen in our DNA,
the calcium in our teeth,
the iron in our blood,
the carbon in our apple pies.
We’re made in the interiors of collapsing stars.
We are made of star stuff.”
- Carl Sagan
It was a great pleasure to be part of
Lot 19's recent 'We Are Made of Star Stuff' exhibition, which coincided with the Castlemaine State Festival. In this exhibition, artists were paired with experts in spiritual and scientific fields and charged with the task of discussing Carl Sagan's famous quote (above) as a basis for inspiring a work of art.
I was paired with Buddhist nun Tenzin Jane Wangmo, providing me with an experience that surpassed my expectations for the project. It was so refreshing to approach an art project without knowing what I'd be painting; what the end result would be like. I think that my artist statement, in the form of a poem (below), relates how appreciative I am to Wangmo for sharing her time and thoughts. I'd also like to thank Mark, Denise and Zoe from Lot 19 for the concept, the opportunity, and the support.
The Gift
Oil on canvas. 150x75cm.
Fiona Gatt, 2013.
'In the Great Intentionality of the directionless open
dimension of original purity,
Although the various vehicles in actual nature are not distinct,
In order to satisfy the needs and faculties of
beings in relative understanding…'
Mipham Rinpoche, Tshog-Du and Lhag -Ma, The Shower of Blessings
The Gift
Science doesn't provide the answers
Just facts when truth provides the better story
But the poetry of Sagan's remark speaks to the spirit and the mind
We are from the same root
We are as one
Our most dark intent a karmic shadow of the sporadic tensions of life
The light never dims and thus the shadow must remain
Destinies, as countless as the stars in the sky
Create a pretty pattern of conflict and joy, oddity and grace
Reproducing, stunted and gleeful, arching into the void
Feeding off one another and yet so often ultimately alone
None the less, the connection never broken
This is a sanctified offering
The grapes consumed by humbled mortals
In honor of those great teachers who came before us
And with intentions for a compassionate life
The empty branches remain a sacred legacy
In the Tshog, in the Eucharist, the great finger pattern of life's twig is paid its due respect
Fiona Gatt (painter)
The Response
I really enjoyed Fiona's proactive engagement with me in this project - she met me more than half-way and even drove to Buninyong! When I first saw Fiona's painting 'The Gift' my first thought was of viewing a reverse Milky Way…and then I reflected on the subject of the painting - a stem of grapes - which are the remains of food offered at a Tshog Offering Ceremony that Fiona attended at our Tibetan Buddhist Gompa.
We (three monastics and Fiona) all had a robust discussion of what Carl Sagan meant when he said 'We are made of Star Stuff''. Our discussion ranged far and wide on the subjects of interdependence, intention, cause and effect, emptiness and reductive thinking that gives birth not to Milky Ways but Materialism which impacts all of us. Carl Sagan is a scientist but when science touches on poetry, as in his quote, new horizons for creative engagement open up.
In the Tshog Offering Ceremony there are many moments of poetry that inspire us to open up to something as luminous and bright as that of which we are made - Stars. The opening lines at the top of the page by Mipham Rinpoche, from the Tshog practice entitled 'Shower of Blessings', are one such moment.
Tenzin Jane Wangmo (Buddhist nun)
