A black turtle bean slowly sprouts in the palms of Jemilla McEwan’s hands amidst the din of skateboards, stoners, shrieks and buskers. Inside Washington Square Park in Manhattan. In McEwan’s performance “Seed Meditation” (2024), which begins on April 12th and ends on the 21st, the artist sits in noble silence from sunrise to sunset for 10 days, composing an act of “divine love.” Witness the growth of beans.
“I believe that God’s love is made up of many parts, just as pure white light is broken down into a spectrum of different colors,” says McEwan, who stands for They/Them. is written in the supplementary book they are distributing. To those who stopped by to participate in meditation. Each day of the performance, the artist wears a handmade costume in a monochrome color different from the natural world, considered another element of love, and embarks on a new spiritual process every 13 hours of the day.
To be fair, despite the rigid structure of the performance, McEwan is flexible within reason. On April 12, the opening day of the production, they were chased out of the park by rain.the artist I had to throw away my clothes and blankets. I put it in the dryer until it clouded over so I wouldn’t get sick for the remaining 9 days. We also have a support team on deck to manage health and safety, and we have a dozen backup beans on the same germination schedule in case something happens to the original beans. I am.
hyperallergenic On the first day, I was able to catch up with them about an hour before sunset. The little beans in their hands had already begun to swell, and their shells had soaked into the dish of water, giving them a glossy, purplish tint.
Mr. McEwan explained that they chose to meditate on the black turtle bean because it is endemic to the Americas. “They are now grown on every continent except Antarctica and are responsible for feeding billions of people around the world,” Mr McEwan said. “The name ‘Black Turtle Bean’ refers to the cosmology of this continent’s indigenous peoples, who recognize the land we stand on as a living organism, as Turtle Island. That spirit of support and our commitment to The interconnected vibrancy of the world is the theme of this work.
According to an anecdote, their father taught the artists that black turtle beans balance nitrogen levels in the soil. Seeds are therefore “great symbols of support and care, as they repair and nourish the soil.”
As the beans slowly began to sprout in McEwan’s outstretched hands, they also described Washington Square Park as “a palm that gently embraces us all.”
They point out that the historical and cultural entropy of a city’s landmarks is translated into an energy of harmony that reverberates among all who spend time there. The park itself has gone through many changes over the course of New York City’s history, from a public graveyard to a military parade ground to an attractive hub for artists and performers. Ms McEwan also said the park was an important respite for them while they worked in Manhattan and readjusted their lives after moving from Australia.
McEwan has been preparing both physically and mentally for this performance for about a year, and the meditation is a reminder that “the world is witnessing an abhorrent violation of the lives, liberty, and liberties of the Palestinian people.” “It was carried out inside,” he says in the accompanying book. ”
in response to hyperallergenicAsked what silence means in moments like these, especially when people are being asked to speak up, McEwan said: “Silence doesn’t necessarily mean isolation or disengagement.” said.
“I think what’s needed is to be able to take the time and be honest about engaging in actions that feel necessary and honest, whether it’s silence or not,” the artist continued. “Participating in issues of justice and liberation is too important to us to limit our involvement. Silence can speak volumes. After all, the seeds that germinate are silence I am doing it.”
