suryanamaskar

Movement that flows with the progression of time

suryanamaskar is a time-based digital sculpture that coordinates movements of the revered suryanamaskar sequence to the solar day.

The origin of the word suryanamaskar (सूर्यनमस्कार) is Sanskrit, consisting of सूर्य (Sūrya) which means 'sun' and नमस्कार (Namaskāra) which means 'greeting' or 'salute'. The connected set of asanas, or poses, are performed as a part of modern yoga practices where attention is placed in the flow of the movements and corresponding inhales and exhales.

Featured in re:present, group exhibition at New Media Artspace, NYC, NY (June 27 - August 1, 2022).

Exhibited at Unrequited Leisure Gallery, Nashville, TN in mediating with Maria Molteni (September 2022).

view piece Unrequited Leisure new media artspace mediating in nashville scene

This project connects the cyclical sequence of the 12 asanas to our circular system of the solar day where the sequence repeats once per hour, 24 times per day, and continues on with the progression of time. The piece is thus connecting the depicted virtual body to the physical movement of suryanamaskar, allowing the body to find connection with the physical world and the sun, just as we can.

The body in the piece is presented as a metallic gold automaton that floats in the sky: untethered by gravity and reality. The automaton performs the movements: emotionless and relentless and repeating indefinitely over time. The discipline and movement is precise and mathematical, and continues on without any obstacles, presumably forever. The automaton is disconnected from the external world and thus ignores the context of the real world and the origins of the suryanamaskar sequence.