Stupa City

Stupa City is comprised of four sets of works. The starting point is a group of figurative paper collages assembled from the residue of an earlier work (Letters, Lies & Alibis, 2004). The forms of these characters have been increased in scale to form the second set of works, painted onto glass, creating a different sensibility again, where geometric abstraction meets cubist funk.

The third group of works are interpretations of these figures on a very large scale in fabric. The banners, entitled Six Perfections, were made in India as part of the international workshop 'Buddha Enlightened 2BE’ in Bodhgaya, Bihar. The six separate titles refer to states of mind and being in Buddhism: A Generous God; A Wise Animal; A Patient Ghost; A Tormented Being Making an Effort; An Ethical Human and A Demi-God Concentrating.

To house these incarnations is a series of assemblage sculptures, which make up the fourth set of works. Colourful plastic ‘buildings’ subtly echo the tower forms common in Buddhist architecture, in particular the universal spiritual monument, the ‘Stupa’.

Photos: John Brash