Here is my participation in Catford Trails – an art trail.
Many visitors, many stories around a fire. Fire as a facilitator, as a transmutation, as an energy, as the healer, as the vehicle, as an object of meditation, as a memory,  as a place, as a passing on – and so on.

One story particularly stands out, as it made a lasting impression on me.

One lady came in and as with the rest of the visitors, I welcomed her and invited her to connect with the art on her own terms, before she got the chance to ask what it was.
I gave her time to explore before I provided her a few clues about the work and how she could connect to it with motion, as it has motion sensors connected to the sound and visuals.

She immediately started playing with the work and visibly enjoyed herself.
I said that this work represents a fire, a space where stories are shared, things can transmute or let go, and a place where our countless ancestry talked about their visions, hopes, dreams and fears.

She looked deeper into the work in contemplation and connected to the sound through her body movement. Then she closed her eyes and started moving about in a wave-like motion, embodying something she was feeling. She reminded me of an Indigenous, a wise tribal woman who tapped into her ‘inner’ world. She looked so raw, so natural, so connected.

I stayed silent observing her interaction with something so human and natural, through digital art in a machine.

Her flow went on for roughly 5 minutes before her tears started flowing down her cheeks with a peaceful smile on her face. Her movement slowed down and she stopped.

I was speechless as much as curious about what just happened.
She turned to me shortly telling me with a calm serene voice, that her mother just died recently, and she was grieving, but she didn’t know how to process it or connect to that feeling; what to expect of it or how to express it.
She said when she connected to the sound with her motion and when felt the feedback responding to her, she could attach that sound to her feelings and move it, shape it, feel it and let it out of her body. Let it go.

Needless to say, I felt so much compassion for her and was honoured by the opportunity to witness such an intimate moment.

This encounter changed how I perceived my art practice in a matter of moments. Nothing could prepare me for this experience.
Was humbled by how a person could open up to the art with such honesty.