The December holidays bring many families and friends together, and if not in person, across distances…and if not in the present moment, in memory. December also brings the year to a close, one year ending and giving way to a another, a cycle that as I age takes on different meaning. Looking at passing time feels layered: there’s memory of what was and what wasn’t, the present moment and what is – or appears to be, and projections of what could or what cannot. There’s sometimes longing for moments of the past and anticipation for moments of the future, but it is all felt, always in the now.

This year was a challenging mix of uncertainty and turbulence. At no point did the world feel calm, and it was filled with noise. Sometimes it felt loud and obnoxious, sometimes disorientating and painful, but it was always present and inescapable. Within that, a quiet mind was elusive. I was always moving, always trying to maintain center. Tranquility was never easily found, and cultivating it required real effort. Success in achieving it was never guaranteed. I needed something that could give me structure, something to anchor to and to ground me.

While I worked on various projects throughout the year, one in particular resonated deeply with me and my relationship to the present world. As it evolved, working on it became a practice of attention and focus. It allowed me to quiet and find order within the loud and fragmented world I felt moving around me. In the process, it helped me find stillness within the complexity, and it reminded me of a line from a poem by T. S. Eliot: “At the still point of the turning world.” That line, this year – especially this year – connected with me so strongly. I found both challenge and release in it, inspiration and acceptance. It became the title for the project, and the project became a way of holding myself present in the turning world. It helped me structure the chaos and bear witness to the motion surrounding me.

This algorithmic project is an abstract portrait of my experience this year, but it’s not representative of only me. It can act as a mirror. If you’ve found yourself feeling like you’re standing in the center of a turbulent world, you may recognize yourself here too. I hope it offers a place to pause.

_/\_

Matto

More info, links, and live art generators: https://matto.xyz/project/at-the-still-point-of-the-turning-world/

The December holidays bring many families and friends together, and if not in person, across distances…and if not in the present moment, in memory. December also brings the year to a close, one year ending and giving way to a another, a cycle that as I age takes on different meaning. Looking at passing time feels layered: there’s memory of what was and what wasn’t, the present moment and what is – or appears to be, and projections of what could or what cannot. There’s sometimes longing for moments of the past and anticipation for moments of the future, but it is all felt, always in the now.

This year was a challenging mix of uncertainty and turbulence. At no point did the world feel calm, and it was filled with noise. Sometimes it felt loud and obnoxious, sometimes disorientating and painful, but it was always present and inescapable. Within that, a quiet mind was elusive. I was always moving, always trying to maintain center. Tranquility was never easily found, and cultivating it required real effort. Success in achieving it was never guaranteed. I needed something that could give me structure, something to anchor to and to ground me.

While I worked on various projects throughout the year, one in particular resonated deeply with me and my relationship to the present world. As it evolved, working on it became a practice of attention and focus. It allowed me to quiet and find order within the loud and fragmented world I felt moving around me. In the process, it helped me find stillness within the complexity, and it reminded me of a line from a poem by T. S. Eliot: “At the still point of the turning world.” That line, this year – especially this year – connected with me so strongly. I found both challenge and release in it, inspiration and acceptance. It became the title for the project, and the project became a way of holding myself present in the turning world. It helped me structure the chaos and bear witness to the motion surrounding me.

This algorithmic project is an abstract portrait of my experience this year, but it’s not representative of only me. It can act as a mirror. If you’ve found yourself feeling like you’re standing in the center of a turbulent world, you may recognize yourself here too. I hope it offers a place to pause.

_/\_

Matto

More info, links, and live art generators: https://matto.xyz/project/at-the-still-point-of-the-turning-world/