"Art is not about the object itself, any piece of art is a vehicle to bringing you an experience, to provoke a thought, an emotion or a new perspective. The art is the experience you have with the piece"

I just ‘discovered’ an artist who speaks to me: Mackenzie Thorpe and just had to share. I was walking from a client meeting to the next and by chance saw a sculpture of his that I just couldn’t pass…

"This Is All My Love"

So transfixed by it, I stood stuck in front of the window it was place in until I realised - this is a gallery, I can go in and look closer…

It turns out it this piece is the centrepiece of a body of work Mackenzie has been creating for Kansas "A Crossroads".

Interestingly this sparks a question I have been playing with: Is Love All You Need? A few months ago I wrote a personal piece which I may publish once edited called "the beatles lied" -  response to believing that love wasn’t all you needed…though I think perhaps on one hand, self love IS all you need…and the love and support of those around you…

A great conversation with Maureen at Pop Gallery (thank you!) led me to a variety of his other work including this:

"Skipping Rope"

And this:

"The Lovers"

 

 

On a professional level his work meets my passion for healthy communities and context that allows us all (children and each human) to flourish:"

My hope is to… let today’s cultures understand that in order to sustain our socieities, we must protect and nourish our children, as  well as the child within us all. It is our responsibility to love these children, to let them bring love back into the world, and to keep our eyes open to the wonderment of childhood"

This quote/sentiment echos several conversations I have been having lately, and also some work with some visionary people including Marge Schiller and the Positive Change Core, and Colby, on the impact and importance of placing children at the centre of our systems: what do we need to provide as a context for child to flourish, and in the context of system change in the education sector, for instance, bringing the young people we serve to the table - so that they may have a voice. And so that we may remember what our purpose is…and for whom.

On a personal level, he also echoed a yearning I have - to be my most free and shining me. As a friend Joep recently reminded me, all we need to be is ourselves.

Thank you Mackenzie. Your visuals resonate in that space between/beyond words…and provide a bridge to them.

All images (c) Mackenzie Thorpe

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 at 9:55 pm and is filed under art, conversation, fun, questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.