77th Annual Trans-Ideological Congress for Constructive Divisiveness
By Bras Basah Open, Arts Outreach, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 2023
By Bras Basah Open, Arts Outreach, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 2023
Artist: Smiha Kapoor
Title of flag or organisation:
Flag: Sacred Synergies
Organisation: Sacred Synergies
Materials: Dark Blue Fabric Mesh, White and Golden String
Sacred Synergies is an alliance that seeks to raise awareness of how everyday rituals can have transformative potential for the self and community. It aims to reclaim non-western traditions or customs that have been glossed over by the forces of modernisation and strives to illuminate the salience of embodied practices in cultivating the (higher) self. It fosters meaningful relationships with the broader (natural- cultural) environment. Such an emphasis on unifying the mind-body, self-other, modern-primitive, metaphysical-physical and light-shadow dualities is reflected in the handmade flag with two ornamented bodies, encoded in spiral motifs creating a sacred womb.
The recurring spirals that curve inwards and outwards are emblematic of a deep desire to bridge these divisive epistemological categories with love and care. The sacred ornamental bodies holding the golden web or map within their cosmic womb echo ethos of unity, sustenance and collective wayfinding. The process of weaving/sewing thread alludes to the multiple connections that are being forged across space, time, the making of which itself is a therapeutic ritual that engages us to slow down into a mindfulness practice of inner contemplation as we reflect on the essence of Sacred Synergies.