7 BODIES,

The installation ‘7 BODIES’ represents human existence as a group of individual elements each containing specific potential. The outer shape of these seven sculptures is identical. I chose an abstract form. By deliberately denying gender, race, or physical appearance, the viewer is invited to look beyond the political, fashionable, esthetic, or social connotations that so much influence our perception of our fellow beings and ourselves. Separating the elements that define our human existence and visualizing them as individual entities, the observer is challenged to reconsider each element, its valuation, and its importance as part of the whole.

1 PHYSICAL BODY

Containing tissue, bone, cell structure, and most fluids, the physical body is the linear vehicle that allows us to move, procreate, and have sensual experiences. It needs nourishment, rest can be damaged and healed. Like all other bodies, it has its own intelligence and memory and influences our other bodies. It is able to exist under dire circumstances, develops and adjusts, and can be trained to increase strength, speed, and resilience. It`s regenerating to a certain extent. As long as it functions well, it is serving our well-being. When it is damaged or dysfunctional, it overtakes our attention and becomes the sole focus of survival for the time being.

2 MENTAL BODY

Generating thoughts can be problem-solving, philosophical, self-critical, genius, or evil. The mental or intelligent body is a constantly active ‘institution’. Although by many seen as the ruler of our life and proof of sanity and intellect, it is easily impressionable and subject to change by outer influence, as it is formed by upbringing, education, belief system, and many other factors. It can be developed or confused, with far-reaching results. It is therefore always subjective, but in connection with other mental bodies capable of clustering to achieve constructive or destructive group behavior.

3 EMOTIONAL BODY

If physical health serves our well-being, so does our emotional body. From superficial sentimentality to profound feelings, it`s sometimes obscure functioning throws us in bottomless pits or takes us to mountain tops. We may long for stability but our emotions take us for a ride in the most unexpected ways and times. But it is also our emotional body that makes us feel sympathy, wants us to hurt or help, shout or cry, sometimes all at the same time. The emotional body allows us to fall in love, cry over spilled milk, and can exhilarate beyond control. Its wounds seem everlasting and can change our behavior and willingness to be vulnerable, confining its potential.

4 VIBRATIONAL BODY

Also seen as the energetic body, it defines what we attract and how we are perceived, often unconsciously. Our vibration can be ‘up’, happy, positive, excited, or ‘down’, sad, negative, subdued. It is our vibrational being that relates to others, which causes instant connection or rejection. Often unaware of the wheels of the law of attraction, we project and introject, mirror and complement based on vibrations and mostly undefined but powerful memories. If the emotional body allows us to fall in love, the vibrations make us fall in love, as we seek vibrational connection and harmony. Despite the appearance, the vibrational body cannot lie, it is the Geiger counter of our being and powerful in appearance as it is the result of the collaboration between all other bodies.

5 SPIRITUAL BODY

Abel of awareness, wisdom, and empathy, the spiritual body strives for understanding the miracles of life. It seeks answers for quintessential questions: who are we, why are we, where do we come from and where are we going. It seeks the soul in itself and others, expansion in consciousness, and the divine common denominator. The spiritual body can be neglected or cherished. It may be religiously driven or develop its own belief-system. It is the body that can develop unconditional love.

6 CREATIVE BODY

It has the ability to use and understand the potential of all the above bodies. To create is a deliberate act of love. It can involve some or all our bodies. Creation has many forms: from a postcard to a troubled friend, painting an abstract, composing a symphony, finding a cure for cancer, or designing the car of the future. Any form of creation is in essence a connection to the creative source that is available to us all and all around us. True creation is un-selfish, although it may be initially ego-driven. It is in a way a deep desire to contribute to creation as a whole. It can be of temporary success, immortal or unseen. All creation ads to the evolution of our universe and our development as a species, and expands the field of creative potential.

7 ETHEREAL OR COSMIC BODY

We live in the physical and non-physical. The ethereal or cosmic body represents our non-physical existence. This body may be hardest to grasp or understand, but it is the one that connects us with all other beings. It is not confined by time and multi-dimensional. It beholds the link between Divine Source, or whatever name your believe-system embraces, and the universe we live in. It is, always was and will be. It`s undefined in form and immortal. It is the purest form of creation and ever-expanding.

Regarding the human existence as omni-potential, this installation is no valuation of individual parts but a validation of what we humans are in essence, raising awareness for what we can become when we use our full potential.

The 7 BODIES Installation is in the permanent collection of the IMAGINE museum, Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA.