Day 7 by Jina Wallwork

Day 7 by Jina Wallwork
Day 7
I can see the obstacle that you are facing. I faced it long ago, and I remember the frustration and annoyance. I can see the same emotions as I watch you, and I want to take them away. There was a day when I overcame this problem. I wish I could give you that day. I try to explain how to surmount this obstacle. As I speak, I can see my words scramble into an unknown language as they travel towards your perception. You cannot understand the solution whether I explain it or not. Your frustration is heightened as I point towards a direction. I feel as though I am highlighting the path. I’m beyond the obstacle, and each time I try to help, I’m merely emphasizing that fact.
I advise and explain, but I don’t spend this moment doing the task for you. We both know I could solve this within a single day. I’ve learned the process, and I have already completed this task for myself. I must seem cold and heartless as I stand back. If I was to help, I could remove the obstruction and cease your struggle. However, I could be sending you down the wrong path, and you would still face obstacles when I’m not around.
We are both next to each other, but this doesn’t mean that we share a journey. I am where I belong, and I know this because I face my challenges, but don’t presume that I’m not standing in front of another obstacle. Success does not belong to you solely because you desire it; you will find it when you express your skills and abilities; then, you claim it through hard work and commitment. If I remove your obstacles, I don’t aid you; I throw your journey to the wind and ask you to share mine. I will not help because I am your friend, and I always will be. I want you to find a path that expresses who you are. I want it to fulfill all of your needs, and I want you to know that you have claimed it for yourself.
You will always desire something different from what you have. Still, it is a terrible reason to discard what you already have. We all struggle, and it’s an integral part of life. You have so much to appreciate on your incredible journey. I hold that thought in my mind, and it suppresses my desire to finish this task for you. At this moment, I know that you are struggling. Right now, I know that I could assist you, and it would ease the moment, but it will cripple your future. You’d see the task completed but not by you. You would receive all the praise without the struggle, and your ambition will crumble into nothing. Today, I let go of my attempts to control the outcome. I will stand at your side, and I will scream words of encouragement. I will hold banners that display your name, and I will cheer as you pass the finish line. Today I must hold back. Today I must let go.
27 Days
27 Days is a series of transient sculptures each representing a single day. The sculptures are made from natural materials where stones are shaped into different patterns. My behavior shapes the nature of each day, how I move the stones shapes the sculpture that represents it. These temporary sculptures are also meditations upon a day. Over many days we can see patterns emerge and slowly life changes, but within a single day this pattern is elusive. We are making decisions and responding to life’s challenges but we do not know what we are creating. To meditate upon a single day is an act of consciously observing your life as it unfolds.
Artworks were then created from the photos of those transient sculptures. Those works represent viewing each day with hindsight. There are similarities, but the memory of the day is different to the experience within the moment.
Not all of the artwork from this day is on the website. Buy the book My Visions of the Universe and view the whole series and more.
