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You cannot travel on the path," said the Buddha, "unless you become the path itself." His last words to his disciples told them: "Walk on!"
A lot of my work has developed out of my interest in and practice of yoga. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit term meaning 'union' and is etymologically linked to the English word 'yoke'. It is about connecting the mind, body and soul and harnessing the senses in an ever-flowing movement towards liberation, or the Absolute, which in yogic philosophy lies as much within the body as without.
In Indian art there is a tradition of assisting yoga practitioners to achieve this by providing what are in effect visual roadmaps to spiritual enlightenment. These take many different forms, ranging from mandalas and yantras (geometric images using archetypal shapes which are believed to store and generate positive energies) to maps of the Subtle Body, which represent the idea of the body as a microcosm of the universe.
Footprints signifying a holy presence have circulated throughout Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Islamic contexts for centuries. The foot as a symbol has grown out of the tradition of touching the feet of a revered person as a mark of respect, from chela to guru. As the foot represents the lowest, humblest part of the body so it reflects a recognition of worship from the lowest to the highest. Even in the Christian context this is recognised with Christ's feet being washed by Mary.
In these Pandemic times where we have all experienced lockdown in our homes, walking- particularly walking outside-has suddenly become a vital luxury as we all try, as enabled by our respective governments, to walk off the mental trauma brought on by being locked in. With 'Path' I was aiming to reflect the idea of a combined inner and outer journey that can be embarked on -with the iterated golden lotus icon with its spiritual connotations of new, perfect growth emerging out of the swamp- a possible metaphor of hope for our times. Here I've used gold which is frequently associated with the heart chakra to emphasise the metaphysical and physical journey.
Olivia Fraser, 2021
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