The Peaces We Keep, Make, Transform is inspired by the idea of purgatory as a place of contemplation  - one of waiting, effort and growth. This installation reimagines purgatory in the here and now, suggesting that growth need not be deferred. Instead, visitors are invited to consider inner peace as something that can be practised within daily life.

 

Visitors are invited to sit in the Rocking Chair to take time to reflect on how they can nurture inner peace. After reflecting, they write one promise on a permission slip and choose whether to keep it, dissolve it in water, or place it in the Peace of Mind Box.

 

The slips placed in the Peace of Mind Box are later printed onto the Rocking Chair. As these expressions of inner peace accumulate, the chair gradually transforms into a collective artwork that opens possibilities for imagining more peaceful communities.

 

On the final day of the exhibition, a closing performance takes the form of a symbolic walk that responds to the many voices inscribed on the Rocking Chair. It prompts visitors to reflect on how peaceful communities might come together through acts of inner peace.

 

Emma Arya-Manesh and Neuza Morais