Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mural video documentary


Duration 2 minutes
Camera Luke Savage
Editing Luke Savage
Director Marcel Baaijens
produced by Art Compass

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

A Mural was Born

ART AND COMPASSION POINT TO THE SAME COMPASS
by Matt Johnson

Sister Margaret Mary, the manager of the Compassion Centre, never got into advertising. Partly because she didn’t have time for long lunches, partly because no one liked the sound of Saatchi, Saatchi & Sister Margaret Mary.

Now that reluctance appears to have paid off. “ From the time we moved in to our new building in Tory Street we have been approached by agencies wanting to hang billboards on the south wall of our building, and we had to say no because we were waiting for the right opportunity to make our own statement.” Opportunity finally knocked on the door of the Compassion Centre in the form of artist and art facilitator Marcel Baaijens.

“It’s spooky,” Sr. Margaret Mary says. “Marcel who I had never met before, arrived at our reception and told me about his dream he had to start the Art Compass programme. I showed him our space upstairs, which nobody was interested in, and he just lit up with possibilities. He had the idea, we had the space, and the two came together.”

It may be a postal code or two away from his favourite Buddhist monastery in Nepal, but Marcel has no problem calling the Compassion Centre home. “There was an energy about the place that picked me up immediately. The sisters don’t use talk as a pretense, there’s real action. That’s impressive because you can talk, you can read books, but it’s all theory till you actually get around to walk the talk. People are taking action and it’s the practice itself I found impressive. In Nepal, the whole idea of monastic life, escaping from the world, seemed incredibly peaceful and appealing, but here the sisters are anything but avoiding life out there.”

With Marcel operating the ground-breaking programme for artists with intellectual disabilities inside the Compassion Centre, it was only a matter of time before the pair turned their attention to the blank walls on the outside. “The building has a very nondescript colour,” Marcel says. “One comment I often heard was ‘I drove past it and I couldn’t find the place!’

So when Sister Margaret Mary approached me with the idea of a mural, I began thinking it might be a chance to express what really goes on here – the embodiment of compassion. To create a landmark rather than just any picture on a wall, a billboard for what this place is all about.”

Marcel, who took on the role of project facilitator, says the mural project is an opportunity to celebrate the relationship that exists between the Sisters of Compassion and the Wellington community. “Well, that relationship began 104 years ago. That is a long time! If you want to practice compassion, you can’t do that in a void. You must have two groups – those who desire to be compassionate and those who are perhaps in need of compassion. Without either, the process and the relationship don’t exist.

“There’s a huge representation of people coming into the building and getting involved,” Sister Margaret Mary says, “and we want that reflected on the outside too.”

Under Marcel’s watchful eye, the nuns took a crash course in MURAL 101 in preparation for the mural project. “I think some of them thought an afternoon’s prayer would have been easier!” Sister laughs. “I can honestly say that not many of us wake up with a paint brush in our hands, but when we see the look on some of the young people upstairs when their artwork gets sold, it gives us a real lift. Talk about talent.”

“I guess art does that. Utilizes things that might otherwise go to waste. That’s very close to the heart of what I think compassion is about too. Not just for people in so-called need, but for all of us – to be trusted and accepted, to have the opportunity to live out of the bigger part of ourselves. Nothing should be wasted, inside or out.”

“The idea to paint something came from the sisters themselves and, given what goes on here, it did seem odd to have the artistic potential of the building lying dormant. Quite quickly, I started having the vision of the mural becoming a billboard for what this place is all about.”

Many people contributed images for the mural during an open art week.
The mural is a shared effort so no singular person can actually claim credit the mural or put their signature on it. Just like the centre and the practice of compassion, people came together and made it happen. It’s about we not me.”

The title ‘Open’ relates to both the sisters who work with an open heart and mind, as well as the nature of the mural project itself. Anybody was invited to contribute, and the turn out was fantastic. Young and old, rich and poor, famous and infamous created more than 800 images. All have been included, as individually as well as collectively they depict the story and history of the relationship between the Sisters of Compassion and the people of Wellington.

Matt Johnson, Wellington

Monday, September 1, 2008

Billboard and South Wall



A huge billboard measuring 3.6x10.8m consists of 15,552 hand painted images of 50x50mm. Like a mosaic it depicts a historic photo of Suzanne Aubert, the hills of Wellington and publicizes the website of the sisters of compassion.



Suzanne Aubert’s image has been created with the profiles of 5 sisters who currently work at the centre. It emphasizes the important role Suzanne plays in their lives while they continue the legacy of Suzanne Aubert.



The Wellington hills have been created from 2 images. The first is of a house (artist Vicky Dooley, participant at Art Compass) arranged in rows forming streets. The second is of a sister pushing the famous begging pram (artist Grace). Rows of this image can be seen in between the rows of houses. Together the images refer to the historic fact that the sisters of Compassion used to collect food in the city with the pram. A replica of this pram can be seen just inside the entrance of the Compassion Centre.



Another major feature on the south wall ‘the tree of compassion’ can be seen behind the carved entrance for the Soup Kitchen guests. Koru’s represent new growth on the tree and refer to the strong historical connection between the Sisters of Compassion and the Tangata Whenua. Suzanne Aubert came to New Zealand from France to work with the Maori people. She spoke fluent Maori, created the first Maori-English phrase book and learned about their traditional medicine. She worked in true partnership with the Tangata Whenua ( The People of the Land, or Maori People). The tree itself also refers to the Bohdi tree under which Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment.

Other images on the south wall relate to the Soup Kitchen, located on that side of the centre.