The Temple of Attention is an ode to a long list of unseen acts that make up our lives. It is an invitation to enter into playful imagination and contemplation with self. A gentle push to go inner space traveling and recognize all that you do for yourself and say a deep heartfelt "thank you" to the reflection in the mirror. It is a small space in which "prayer" (read contemplation) is a portal; the depression made in soil to hold a seed. By writing down your gratitude for the mundane ways in which you care for yourself you are able to draw the acknowledgement out of your mind and make space for it in the earth via the strips of seed paper. 

As a child I did not have a right to privacy or safety, so I turned to blanket forts and small secret places for refuge. The peace and silence they offered me have elevated the blanket fort or attic space into a holy space. It made creating the Temple of Attention especially important  to me. 

The walls of the kapelleke were gifted blankets, handmade by my mother in law; the doors of the temple were made of used tea towels collected from my kitchen and the kitchens of other members of the G.O.D collective. The roof is a blue bed sheet that I used repeatedly while recovering from childbirth and nursing my newborn. On the inside you are faced with a large triangular mirror and a small shelf, on which, a note, a pen and slips of seed paper could be found. There was also a tin collection box made from a Maizena tin, where participants placed there written thoughts. In front of the mirror is a low church chair which puts you at a very intimate level with your reflection. 

I used these often under appreciated and mundane elements in order to show they can be transmuted into a site of sanctity through careful contemplation of the unacknowledged. 

The feedback that I received, from people who entered the Temple of Attention, was overwhelmingly kind. Participants mentioned they felt a sense of calm, of deep love, and relief. Many people thanked me for creating this reflective space, and said they didn't realize how much they needed that invitation to sit down with themselves. 

This installation was made for the expo Hard Work and Gentle Labour, a collaborative show by the members of the Garden of Delights collective.