Submission

Anahata is a photography-based project presented as an immersive installation on OLED electronic canvases, multimedia sculptures and traditionally printed photographs. These images are the result of an intimate collaboration between performers, choreographers, costume designers, makeup artists and technicians in which I acted as photographer and director. Choreographed movement was captured with an open-spectrum camera in a purpose-built, UV light studio where dancers performed in handcrafted costumes. The pictures are not the product of digital editing, rather a novel photographic process that produces images true to moments in time. Sanskrit for "unhurt" or "unbroken", the word Anahata corresponds to the energy of the heart, the "unstruck sound", and a harmonic resonance with the celestial realm. Dream-like imagery steeped in archetypal symbolism, mythology and mysticism directs a narrative that transports the viewer to an ancient, eternal place. Abstract but familiar, this place exists within every one of us. It is the provenance of dreams, devotion, prayer, dance, music and silence. The cocoon-like webs which connect us through our stories, journeys, compassion and grace. Anahata explores human relationships and their connection to the divine. Whether experienced as a sanctuary or celebration of diversity in relationships, the images in Anahata attempt to connect to a universal and ageless divinity. When modern society is becoming precariously polarized and divided by sanctimonious tribal ideologies, I hope that my work can bridge some of the divides in our innate connection.