ART Habens Art Review // Special Issue ART Habens Art Review - Special Issue #89 | Page 141

Irena Romendik
ART Habens
fantasy. Mind wanders, and former mental
image overtakes present moment. Time
dances: it slows down, stretches, jumps,
and flows depending upon the music in our
hearts.
Each moment of the mechanical image of
clock-time is a self-contained entity,
complete unto itself, separate from the
others, as pearls on a string, with each one
representing a separate moment. With each
tick of the clock, we move from one pearl to
the next. (Bergson’s image). In contrast to
the time captured by clocks, Time-Image
might be akin to the pearl necklace soaked
in vinegar as one contemplates the process
of all pearls slowly dissolving into one
"pearlescence". I favor the poetry of lived
and experienced time over quantifiable
duration of moments passed -- instead of
placing those moments in space, I melt
them into Time-Image.
If we take that analogy further, and add
meaning to the time, we can imagine a
prayer beads, with each bead representing
an individual prayer.
In order to feel what I’m drawing, I take
butoh classes, I practice yoga, and
generally try to keep my body awake to feel
better the mechanics of movement in time
and space. I usually draw on a floor, with all
my art supplies within an easy reach. The
process is very much like a nonverbal
conversation, and I consider my models a
significant part of a dialogue. In the best
sessions, a wonderful flow happens in
between us, that is very difficult to
describe. That not necessarily results in
successful drawing, but the energy is
indispensable. I begin by looking at options,
which is different from acting at random;
learning to see by thinking and feeling more
complexly about visibility…
experienced time flows unevenly, mixing
memories, knowledge, beliefs, and feelings
from the past, penetrating the future with
current minutia, soaking it in dreaming and
21
4
06
Special Issue