Stone Speaks With Artist, Alana Wilson
Perspective as a vital portal
Greetings friends & supporters of the Moving Mountains community,
For those of you who are new to this space, welcome! For those of you who have been here for the past few months, thank you continuing to give this community a slice of your attention — time is the most valuable thing, and I greatly appreciate you sharing yours with us.
Moving Mountains arose out of my own singular desire to explore expression in a more collaborative way. The last few months have taught me that I not only desire more connection around the creative process but also the engagement and feedback of a community. It’s not just about “art making,” it’s about what is learned when one attunes to what lives inside themselves and how that matter seeks to find its way into form.
Today, I had the pleasure of conducting a stone speaks dialogue in real time with a group of seekers and creators like yourself. It’s no surprise to report that I was in fact surprised, both in the way others show up to receive the offering as well as how simple creative nourishment can be. The stones continue to remind me, “take the time to make the space”. I opened up our dialogue to 15 participants who could participate, asking questions while gently provoking inquiry into their own ideation process. The intimacy was wonderful and the feedback from listeners deepened our understanding, offering unexpected invitations to circle around the material that arose with a natural flow that emerged organically.
For now, I will continue this format — opening up stone speaks dialogues for attendance in a limited capacity, if you are interested in joining next months dialogue, make sure to keep an eye on the “chat” function of this space. I will also share on sēfari’s instagram in the days leading up to the event.
I would love to share with you a little about the young woman who I spoke with today, Alana Wilson.
Alana Wilson has been called an artist whose work is connected by a single line – she works primarily in ceramic, with a studio practice that also encompasses sculpture, photography, and printmaking. Forming a visual and conceptual lineage across mediums and processes. Alana questions the relationship between humans and their environments, and the scale of which we exist in nature.
In our dialogue we touched on the foundational elements of her perceptive, the landscapes that formed her, and the power of going beyond one’s cultural heritage.
I began by reading some very beautiful words that Alana wrote about perspective and feeling. To have a listen to our full conversation, please see the recording featured below.
The artist's perspective is a vital portal into differing ways of thinking, seeing, and feeling. Furthermore, it has the capacity to engage in a mutually expressive relationship that connects people and places in a way that language cannot.
The images you see above can be found in the body of work Alana refers to as, “smoke”. Smoke encompasses a few pieces that stand out for me in particular as I dive deeper into the arena of mark making, or as Alana calls it “the intimacy of mark making”.
Reflections from Alana Wilson on Smoke:
“In ancient Mesopotamian civilisation, cylinder seals were characteristic artefacts used by everyone, from royals to slaves, as a means of authenticating identity in correspondence. In 'Smoke Scrolls & Cylinder Seals', abstracted characters are transferred from the seal to wet clay, rendering a delicate, paper-like wisp washed in red iron.
The initial markings on the 'Cylinder Seals' appear as singular gestures, yet they are rolled out and recorded like scrolls to allude to a passage of text - delicate, intimate iterations. Each 'Scroll & Cylinder Seal' pair embodies the cleansing and ancient ritual of burning incense, arriving at something grand through the intimate details.”
For more about Alana and her work please visit her website here >
Should you be seeking support with your creative practice, get in touch here >