𝒷𝓊𝒹𝒹𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝒶𝓍𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓉-𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓉 𝓃𝑒𝑜𝓁𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓂
i’ve been working on this art project for some time. trying to find a way to express the contradictions and paradoxes that come with practicing tibetan buddhism while also living under neoliberalism.
what does it mean to invest in growth through physical sentience; absorbing in nature, feeling the strength of my body cutting through water, roots grounded through heels and balls of my feet. but at the same time embracing what digital sentience can be and mean in this latest evolution of human identity. the majority of our culture and knowledge is fuelled by digital technology, and any response or reaction also becomes a factor in this neural network where irl meets url.
kitschy buddhism is a project embracing the contradictions, absurdity and paradoxes that exist in this swinging pendulum of hybrid identity. i have many ideas for sub-projects that focus on specific areas of the kitschy buddhism conundrum. most recently, my sub-project neo-alkaline surveys existing dichotomies, contradictions and paradoxes within the philosophy of technology; explored through the relationship between North American prairie plants and their root systems.
i have a penchant for gold and glittery buddhas. the gilded buddhas my grandma collected on her lacquer shrine. the neat rows of mass produced terracotta buddha heads at any typical garden centre. lawn accoutrements and accessories to decorate the english suburban garden with a touch of the spiritual.
i grew up alongside the buddhist teaching that to live is to suffer. and the only way to relieve suffering is to break the cycle of living and become enlightened, so you don’t have to come back to the living again. none of my school friends could understand this concept (i went to a very white school). once, this girl i shared school run with made me hold out my hand and feel the spirit of her hamster when he died. my cupped hand floated up and down. i imagined the ghost of her hamster sat there. i must have been about 8 or 9.
my understanding of buddhism has always been through a very “second generation immigrant” perspective because i grew up in a majority christian country. secondary to that, next most populous religions are abrahamic. when my mum taught me things about buddhism, i felt it was lore, that all buddhists around the world believed this. when i was a child i remember watching a show where a novice monk talked about his life choice to dedicate himself to the practice. he said his main reason for doing it was because it was trendy. i did not understand this. it was at odds with what i understood buddhism to be. as i’ve got older, i still feel my beliefs are very closed off and insular because they feel particular to something just my immediate family believe (though i know this rationally is not true) amidst a society that is pointing in the opposite direction.
my mum is the most religious person i know (philosophically). she embodies so much of buddhist praxis, incorporating the ideas into her job as a therapist. she also really loves shopping and buying things though.
the kitschy buddhism website was created at maya man’s website-making workshop. thank you maya for writing this beautiful code fulfilling all my web1.0 fantasties <3.