A Flower Petal Mandala Project as Cultural Activism
An environmental approach to community activism in a small rural village, whose residents wanted to establish the cultural potential of a recently vacated fire hall.
A vision arrived, fully formed, in a lucid dream one morning. Friendly people walking around a giant organic Mandala, chats, familiar-yet-mixed scents, soft breeze, birdsong.
All summer, locals collected + dried a wide range of organic “art materials” from wild + cultivated spaces; storing them according to color. At the end of the tourist season, over 70 villagers of all ages came together with their organic offerings to co-create the Mandala. Sacks of petals, pods, berries, acorns, pinecones + more were set out along the wall; under a rainbow of paint chips, where an organic palette came into being.…then chairs + instruments “appeared”, + a few of us started the process, on a chalked starburst grid, typically used to guide Mandala layouts.New + experienced artists, like Mandala-specialist Pierre Lalonde, brought their Mandala art. Pierre was a keen partner in promoting the event, gathering materials + sharing layout ideas.Participants discussed approaches to design, color + texture combos, as they worked together to build the Mandala.The empty space shared a wall with Wakefield’s minuscule library, that dearly wanted to expand. Petitions had been circulating for presentation to the Municipal Council. So it was a great thing when the Mayor showed up; she even participated in building the unifying artpiece, so rich with symbolic meaning.The Mandala grew to 16 feet that afternoon. Upon its completion, the group discussed optimal ways to return the Mandala to Nature; then voted; the river was the winning choice.
Two days later, the Flower Petal Mandala was swept up + carried to the covered bridge, where it was dropped into the swirling rapids of the Gatineau River; disappearing in a few seconds, leaving a shared community memory.
Thank you Barbara Cerson, for capturing the event on two cameras…long before phones!!
