In 2012 I made four paper sculptures for A House With Four Rooms, an exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. The work was inspired by the Indian proverb that everyone is a house with four rooms—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
The proverb says that most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but, unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.
Kelly M O'Brien, Meadow With Four Rooms. Paper, thread, transfer print on unfired clay, wire, painted steel. Dimensions variable. ©2012-2020. Photo taken May 2020.
Clearing out my studio during the COVID-19 UK lockdown, I decided to remove work from my inventory that no longer fits my practice. These four pieces are now in our wildflower meadow, left to deteriorate naturally, which I’ve documented here.
The first series of photos (like the one above and below) were taken in May 2020.
Kelly M O'Brien, Meadow With Four Rooms. Paper, thread, transfer print on unfired clay, wire, painted steel. Dimensions variable. ©2012-2020. Photo taken May 2020.
The paper dress sculptures have been outdoors since May of this year, left to slowly deteriorate. With this work, I am interested in the slow transformation of the objects as the seasons pass.
Kelly M O'Brien, Meadow With Four Rooms. Paper, thread, transfer print on unfired clay, wire, painted steel. Dimensions variable. ©2012-2020. Photo taken September 2020.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (affiliate link) teaches us that autumn is a season of release, of discarding that which no longer serves us (trees drop leaves and the natural world prepares for winter withdrawal). The practice encourages everything, including humans, to live according to these natural rhythms.
Kelly M O'Brien, Meadow With Four Rooms. Paper, thread, transfer print on unfired clay, wire, painted steel. Dimensions variable. ©2012-2020. Photo taken September 2020.
While September is traditionally a time of re-entry from summer to the busyness of school routines and work, this year—which has already been so different—I'm thinking about how to resist that pull. Our Great Pause has instilled some new habits in me that I want to preserve including slowing down, less-is-more mentality, and more real-life vs. virtual experiences.