may you be free from suffering, 2021
video / documentation of a workshop
1920x1080, 16:9, 34 ́
The work is a documentation of a workshop held in the suburban forest Bois de Vincennes in Paris in 2021. The workshop was a collective practice of empathy, where we practiced concentration, meditation and movement-based exercises.
The work was inspired by the Finnish philosopher Elisa Aaltola, who has suggested that being present by observing and attentiveness towards others, could be considered as an action of love. I was interested on, could we practice empathy not only towards each other, but towards the surrounding environment; the nature and other beings.
The name of the work comes from a Buddhist metta-meditation practice, where one prays kindness and freedom from all suffering, for one´s self or for others.
Videography: Sidonie Ronfard
Performers: Félix Touzalin, Daniel Nicolaevsky Maria, Diane Chéry, Sehyoung Lee & Saija Alexandra Kangasniemi
Sound: Tatu Rönkkö, Sidonie Ronfard, Saija Alexandra Kangasniemi