The Thin Veil
The Thin Veil is an audiovisual installation that tries to capture the otherworldliness of the sea, the sand and the stars. The film and sound were recorded while on residency at the Cill Rialaig Project in Co. Kerry. The residency is based on the side of a mountain, surrounded by the ocean, on what feels like the edge of the world. My friend told me as we explored a fort hidden on the side of Bolus Head that it brought to mind a Caol Áit, a narrow passage between this world and another, and I felt it.
The film's slow and magnetic rhythm mimics deep breathing, lighting the room up and bringing it down to darkness. This installation presents a mesmerizing earthly cosmos through the infinite complexities of sand and water, where looking to the minute in the sea draws attention to the immensity of looking up to the stars.
The film's slow and magnetic rhythm mimics deep breathing, lighting the room up and bringing it down to darkness. This installation presents a mesmerizing earthly cosmos through the infinite complexities of sand and water, where looking to the minute in the sea draws attention to the immensity of looking up to the stars.
Along with the exhibition at Pallas Projects in 2020, Johnny Taylor was to give a breathing workshop. This could not go ahead due to the pandemic so Johnny created a beautiful guided meditation. I have turned to it often, especially when feeling stressed. I am so grateful for his work.
"The meditation is designed to guide us in a journey of quieting our minds and bringing a greater awareness to the natural and deep flow of our breathing. Many spiritual traditions point to the power that the breath has to bring us into the present moment and to feel the life force energy that sustains our very being throughout our lives. Meditating on the breath is at once intimate and universal: it brings us deeply into our own bodies and also allows us to sense our connection to the natural world all around us and what it feels like to be experiencing life on the earth, through these bodies, at this present moment."
— Johnny Taylor
"The meditation is designed to guide us in a journey of quieting our minds and bringing a greater awareness to the natural and deep flow of our breathing. Many spiritual traditions point to the power that the breath has to bring us into the present moment and to feel the life force energy that sustains our very being throughout our lives. Meditating on the breath is at once intimate and universal: it brings us deeply into our own bodies and also allows us to sense our connection to the natural world all around us and what it feels like to be experiencing life on the earth, through these bodies, at this present moment."
— Johnny Taylor