Bowls of Meditation
Diversity, Growth, Cycles
‘Bowls of Meditation: Diversity, Growth, Cycles’ January 2025, thrown white stoneware bowls with acid-etched, antiqued brass lids.
Site-specific response as part of Hereford Cathedral’s 2025 Re:interpret exhibition, exhibiting from Friday 31st Jan - 26th February 2025
Meditation objects exploring the parallels between humanity and the natural world. Inspired by sacred geometry, the five elements and symbols of interconnectedness and seasonal cycles, paired with nature motifs found in all areas of the cathedral to depict a visual representation of diversity, growth, and seasonal life cycles.
These truths are universal to all humans, no matter of nationality or religion, as the natural world belongs to all of us, and we all belong within it. This work aims to reposition the imagery and architecture of the cathedral to be universally accessible and relevant to anyone who wishes to contemplate on the universal truths of the universe, and what unites us, using these images as visual and sensual anchors to do so.
Above photo by @mattdaviesimages Inspiration:
Walking through the cathedral I noticed the arches of the nave ceiling felt like walking underneath and in-between two rows of trees, and already felt connected to nature.
I looked up to see geometry in the ceilings of other areas and looked down to see geometry in the Godwin and Co tiles. This reminded me of mandalas, especially as the cathedral is a place built for meditation and contemplation. I felt inspired to create my own mandalas and researched sacred geometry so that I could use the rules to make mine both authentic and functional as meditation objects.
For ‘Diversity’ I used Metatron’s Cube in its two-dimensional diagram, depicting the five Platonic Solids, the forms underlying all matter in the universe. This reflected the elemental diversity of Earth that each living being is made up of.
I used an alternate diagram of Metatron’s Cube for ‘Growth’ to reference the five elements that all matter is made up of: fire, air, water and earth are reflected physically in the clay bowls:
Clay is dug from the earth
Wheel-thrown ceramics is shaped with
the help of water
The water evaporates into the air to become
bone-dry before firing
The clay body is vitrified by fire in the kiln
Ether is the fifth element which represents ‘space, emptiness, and the void’. It governs all the empty space within a physical body, object or building. This emptiness gives space for all the other elements to exist and move. It represents the quiet pauses between your breaths and thoughts, serving as a sanctuary for deep meditation and inner peace.
It is the space between the drawn lines in the mandala and around the outside which allow the image breathing space to be seen as a whole. It is the emptiness inside the bowl, parallel to the emptiness in the human body that allows breath and new thoughts to go in. It’s the space to properly meditate with the object as a whole.
The first four elements are the physical ‘materials’ life is made up of. Ether gives us the space to grow.
For ‘Cycles’ I chose to arrange the images into the Celtic Cross. The cross is made up of four arms representing the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west) and the four elements (earth, fire, air and water), symbolising the union of the earthly world and the spiritual realm.
The circle (sun wheel) represents the sun, the moon, and the cycles of nature. I depicted the eternal continuation of the four seasons through how an apple tree changes throughout the year. The Green Man is a widely recognised Pagan symbol representing the cycle of rebirth, fertility and the deep connection between humanity and nature.
