A COLLABORATION WITH
SOMERSET HOUSE
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Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy
In January 2018 Somerset House Studios presented a dynamic six-day series of artist-led approaches to the concept and practice of wellness. Through a programme of newly commissioned artworks and events, Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy presented an alternative and unconventional approach to holistic wellness.
I was selected as one of the artists alongside Marija Bozinovska Jones, Phoebe Davies, Zarina Muhammed, Bad Vibes Club, inner u and astrologer Chani Nicholas.
I hosted a performative workshop that explained the importance of astrology for leading a creative life
To learn about our natal chart is to understand in a deeper way our feelings, emotions, fears, pain, happiness, joy, love between other things.
We are all fighting our own battles. We are all dancing in this wonderful tricky universe. We are all creating our lives - our most important creative act.
A SPIRITUAL MAP OF YOUR CREATIVE SELF
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A workshop focusing on our creative voice as support, as a vital force, as a shared moment, as an act to build a different reality.
Open to anyone who would like to learn about astrology as a creative tool and explore through performative exercises the journey of the zodiac and the meaning of the Sun, Moon and Ascendant. Astrology for Artists is about all of us, humans, people searching for liberation and unity.
Taking responsibility of our well-being can be a radical political act in these times where we are encouraged to be the same as each other. Astrology for Artists inspires, provokes, questions and connects with what makes us feel alive.
We are all artists.
Very honoured that the workshop was followed by a video call with activist and astrologer Chani Nicholas, in conversation with artist Linda Stupart, who closed the event by sharing her unique approach to astrology.
Somerset House Blog
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Throughout the event, I wrote posts for Somerset House’s Instagram feed about the daily celestial happenings during the event, sharing connections with the artists showcasing their work.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
SUN, VENUS, PLUTO AND SATURN IN CAPRICORN
As 2018 begins some major planetary bodies have now aligned in Capricorn. The Sun, Venus, Pluto and Saturn are now facing the breathtaking challenges that we are going to overcome during 2018. We are motivated to move mountains...oh yeah! But this long term Capricorn plan must start by shaping boundaries that will strengthen our creativity, and cultivate healing, self-care and care for others. This is a time when the self is deeply connected with the most pressing political questions of meaning and cultural capitalist value. We are interrogating the limits of subjectivity as we push and rethink the boundaries between us and the other - as body, as image, as human experience. We are in a once in a lifetime shift, with these four planets in Capricorn forming a very precise hard working horizon for the next three years.
Artist Marija Bozinovska Jones will respond to INTELLECTUAL WELLNESS discussing how the changing nature of technologies of representation is continually shifting conceptions of the Self.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
MOON, MARS AND JUPITER IN SCORPIO
The Moon changes to the sign of Scorpio today - launching an investigation into our body’s resilience and survival instinct - joining Mars and Jupiter who are already deep into Scorpio territory. Mars in Scorpio wants physical endurance and competitiveness while Jupiter in Scorpio wants to go beyond superficial teaching or political spin. Today with the Moon, Mars and Jupiter in this sign we want to face and feel the raw truth. With Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) in Capricorn there is a urgency to disrupt structures of oppression and to rethink hierarchies. Consider the Scorpion, a creature that generates plenty of fear. There are 1300 species and many can survive for months without eating. They are nocturnal and seek dark, isolated places in which to live. The secretive sign of Scorpio has an enormous strength - emotional and physiological - a huge capacity for self control, will power and stamina. (And I’m not mentioning that Venus and Pluto (ruler of Scorpio) are in exact conjunction - there is hardcore energy out there today).
Artist Phoebe Davis will respond to PHYSICAL WELLNESS leading a physical training session exploring resistance and competitiveness through collaborative movement, team / pack mentalities and collective strength.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
URANUS LAST DEGREES IN ARIES
Breaking down to break through. A week ago Uranus began moving direct - and now is travelling forwards through the last few degrees of Aries before entering Taurus in May. Uranus has been activating our urge for liberation and individuation, through change and unexpected personal and global disruption. Uranus rules new inventions, especially in technology and yes - the digital revolution has been major. Social media, YouTube, selfies - the pioneering individualistic spirit of Uranus in Aries and the public’s hunger for extraordinary heroes has been happening in the digital world. This is our very last chance to integrate Uranus’ radical lessons learned during the last seven years of complete upheaval - as Uranus will not be in Aries again for the next 84 years!
Artist Zarina Muhammed will respond to SOCIAL WELLNESS exploring the gap between the conscious self and the physical body via the phenomenon of the YouTube beauty vlogger.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
MOON IN SAGITTARIUS
Today the Moon enters into the expansive, adventurous and optimistic sign of Sagittarius. With most of the planets now in more grounded Capricorn this Moon arrives for us to have fun, laugh and be extroverted. Sagittarius is a Fire sign - emphasising the passionate, idealistic and creative dimensions of life. Because the Moon describes our natural and instinctive responses to things - and where you feel at home - we are likely to feel most comfortable roaming free, exploring our world and expanding new horizons wherever possible. This Moon in Sagittarius wants us to express our emotions with freedom, nurture our beliefs and philosophies with passion and inspire positive energy with love!
Artist collective inner u will respond to EMOTIONAL WELLNESS exploring the idea of nightlife as a form of emotional self care, by creating an environment in which dance is transcendental and music is hypnosis.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
MERCURY ENTERS CAPRICORN
Today Mercury - the planet that rules communication - moves into ambitious and solid Capricorn making it five planets in this earthy sign; this won’t happen again for at least 250 years! Mercury has been adventuring in Sagittarius - where our thinking and discourse were philosophical, idealistic, in search of meaning and new visions. But today our thinking changes - it becomes sharp and goal-orientated, career-driven and starts planning to make things real. Our mental power is strong as Mercury pushes us to achieve. Our mind focuses and our thought patterns become logical, practical, methodical and well organised. This is a great time to start thinking about the professional seeds for the New Moon in Capricorn on the 16th of January. We need to be careful of becoming too rigid or narrow minded in our thinking; it’s important to keep the mind resilient, flexible and moving. Some meditation would be ideal...
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Artist collective Bad Vibes Club (Mathew de Kersaint Giraudeau & Hamish Macpherson) will respond to OCCUPATIONAL WELLNESS presenting a guided meditation for the contemporary workplace, taking you from exhaustion to exuberance and beyond.
Hyper Functional, Ultra Healthy for Somerset House Studios
Horoscope of the Day
MERCURY CONJUNCT SATURN
Today as Mercury gets closest to Saturn I want to write about the strength and importance of our voices and our collective dialogue. Our creative and political voices. Our healing and spiritual voices. Astrology is a bridge that connects the stars with the Earth and our voices express and communicate this inner magic. This sacred dance between the movement of the planets is showing us a path and we walk this path in different rhythms, each to their own time, searching for different things. Each voice is unique and needs to be heard. We should listen to each other and embrace this diversity of voices because the dialogue can shape and embody the change we are facing. And in today’s socio-political climate this is a serious matter. We need to incarnate our voices and make them heard.
Today I’ll be facilitating a workshop focusing on our creative voice as support, as a vital force, as a shared moment, as an act to build a different reality. And later this evening we will have astrologer Chani Nicholas in conversation with artist Linda Stupart.
Somerset House Video
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This video was created in collaboration with Ewan Morris, exploring Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of rhizome and interbeing. Rhizome has no beginning or end; it is always in the middle, between things, interbeing.
Like astrology, a map not a tracing.
Concept & Creative Direction: Madeleine Botet de Lacaze
Assistant Curator for Somerset House: Jonathan Powell
Producer Somerset House Studios: Leonara Manyangadze
Video: Ewan Jones Morris
Images by Somerset House / Astrology for Artists