"This exhibition presents relaxing, meditative minimalist installations by Joan Edlis that take you on a deep journey into the depths of your conscious and leave you feeling satisfyingly rested. Joan's work is site specific using different parts of the building to energise and inform her pieces, making them feel more in tune with the world around them.
Her work is also process based meaning the journey of making of the pieces is the most important part to her rather than the end result. However the end result of 'Confluences' are beautiful and interesting, meditative pieces.
The works have a very light and airy feel to them due to their size, colour and materials. Her use of collaged materials that may move over time also gives a heightened sense of depth.
'The Horizontal Expansion of Compassion' is an enormous piece made up of six large sheets connected through flow of texture to create a piece that takes up your entire visual field, and so draws you into its quite contemplative space. It is supposed to symbolise the reaching out to others but its vastness and design takes it further: it is a reaching out to the cosmos.
'The Breath' is the most exciting piece in the show. Made up of wax disks which move and rustle in the thermals produced by the heating, and creating a rhythm of rustles, shadows and depth that take you to a more relaxing place, an idealized forest on a summer's day.
Overall these pieces are very quiet and it is up to you the viewer to take the time to stand and merge with them in your own way. If you do take this time you will come away having had a very satisfying experience.
Confluences is at Cambridge Buddhist Centre until 1 Feb, 2006"
Janet Barron, Art Editor, Local Secrets
http://www.localsecrets.com/
Curated by Gail Abbott and Daphne Warburg-Astor, CBC Arts
