Collective Reflection

“You are a volume in a divine book
A mirror to the power that created the universe
whatever you want, ask it, of yourself,
whatever you’re looking for can only be found
Inside of you.”
Rumi (1207-1273)

Poets have used symbols to express complex mystical concepts and have used symbolism as the basis of their thought. Rumi has also used many symbols to express mystical points, one of which is the mirror. The mirror is a tool for him to present his thoughts and ideas to the audience in a tangible form in the form of poetry. Mirror contains a larger area than glass mirrors and as on a reflecting surface has a long history since the time human saw his face through reflection in the lake. Before the invention of mirrors Rumi had many poems about mirrors, in those days black stones were polished till their surface was reflective and worked as a mirror. This was a troublesome process which required a lot of effort and that is why Rumi used mirrors as a metaphor to convey his concept of purification of soul. Mirrors are not adding anything to this world, in mirror you see reflection of your surroundings and you see yourself. In the mirror you see your reality. With a pure heart you can create a beautiful image in the mirror, the beauty is in the heart of beholder.

By putting our head down did we forget about looking up and looking at the sky? In the Girls Monastery I want to draw people’s attention to the sky, with mirrors placing on the ground or in front of audience I want them to look up even when their head is down. I want to bring sky under their feet so they can have sky and look beyond their limits. Standing in front of the staircase, the audience is facing a transformative view of themselves, and their notion of how the world is structured. When the audience stands at the top of the stairs and looks down, they come face to face with an optical illusion that increases their light, and therefore their spirituality of the space. The very physics of nature are turned on their head- the sky is now the ground- and the light of the sun is magnified around the viewer. The blue sky spills onto the ground, mimicking a pool, and the audience is momentarily overcome with the desire to jump into the light. The basic geometric shapes and symmetrical composition of the mirrors angling up the cement stairs are borrowed from Islamic art, where symmetry is considered the highest form of beauty.

Curated by Ayca Okay