September Flash and Booking
Hello and welcome to September Flash and Booking (for the second time)! As always, in order to book a session with me, please respond directly to this email or send a separate email to sevkoresh@gmail.com. Booking guidelines are in the second portion of the email body.
Last week while browsing the cosmology section of my favorite book store which I always talk about in these things and am honestly kind of genuinely embarrassed to be mentioning here for the 11th time, I found a book called "Radical Amazement" by Judy Cannato. Immediately, the title excited me- I find that ever since I've been doing the kind of work I do as a tattooer, it has been my M.O. to wander around this planet with my mouth agape like some lunatic who just arrived here ten minutes ago and simply cannot believe the beauty of what they are seeing. I know for a fact that surrendering to this way of existing has not only given me an enormous and much-needed attitude adjustment, but has also resulted in a kind of inner sense of regulation and contentment that had hitherto been notably absent from my life. In case the title didn't give it away, this attitude is what "Radical Amazement" is all about. Judy Cannato brings the reader through an abridged chronology of the new cosmology story of western scientific thought, from Aristotle to Dark Matter, ending each chapter with an invitation for the reader to sit in quiet contemplation and imagine the sensation of being present at the very beginning of conceivable time, imagine the first microbiological indications of life emerging on our planet, or imagine oneself crushed by the unimaginable density of gravity at the hypothetical singularity point of a black hole. The book itself is an invitation to the reader to enter into the incredible numinous truth of a reality in which the matter of our bodies is the same as the matter of the stars; a reality in which a true sense of entanglement with all that is (all meaning the most beautiful and also the most terrifying feats of nature) can permeate the psyche in moments when the mundane weighs especially heavy upon us. (As I sat down to write about this book, I realized everything I myself write about in the lengthier editions of this newsletter basically boils down to that same concept, and I want to apologize for being a broken record but I will repeat this sentiment until I run out of things in this universe to be in awe of.) The general "end goal" of these passages of guided reflection is to marry the massive scientific and cosmological concepts which continue to unfold over the course of our lifetime with spiritual metaphor- or at least draw these two schools of thought down into a tangible place that reconciles the misconception that they need be mortal enemies- putting a divine sense of irrevocable interconnectedness back into secular science (which is pretty much the name of the game for me, for those who couldn't already tell.)
FYI for those maybe interested in delving into this book, Judy Cannato is a total number one fan of god and a Catholic, and a large portion of this book is her tying scientific cosmology into biblical creation concepts (and to be honest, doing so in a really fascinating way, which I feel is a testament to her talent as a writer, but I'm also a pretty big god guy myself although certainly not a Catholic one) so if you cannot look past literary mentions of Jesus and take what resonates, this may not be the book for you. She also references the work of some of my favorite cosmological scholars, and proves herself to be a wholly reliable, tactful, and thoughtful narrator, as well as skilled at imbuing the religious with the spiritual, and grounding that in true reverence of the workings of the physical laws of matter that make our universe the ever more astounding system that it is constantly revealing itself to be.
While reading "Radical Amazement" I've had a sentiment I heard from Taoist teacher Dr. Carl Totton rattling around in my thoughts, which, to paraphrase, essentially spoke to the fact that one of the most important aspects of working with the Tao is to allow oneself to be an eternal scientist, open to approaching every moment of your life and every aspect of the knowable universe with a sense of total curiosity and wonder. For so many reasons it can often be difficult to remember to live this way, and it is undoubtedly an incredibly vulnerable way of being. However, when a spark catches and we allow ourselves to surrender to being suspended in the warm embrace of awe at that which we can see, we graze with outstretched fingertips the mechanisms of our universe which are invisible and indescribable and pull them ever so slightly closer to us every time. At the very least, it’s worth trying.
This month, I'm bringing back some old disease + geological flash from recent cycles that I still really want to work with- but I’ll also be bringing in some flash from another concept I've been wanting to explore for a while: images of the surfaces of planets and other heavenly bodies. I've sourced some beautiful textural images from the New Horizons mission to Pluto, images of ice floe from Jupiter's moon Europa, and an image from the beautiful surface our moon. Looking forward to following this train of thought and seeing what comes of it out here in the physical.
Booking is first come, first served. Please respond to this email to the desired date/dates you are looking to book, the number of the flash piece you are interested in getting, and comfortable range of budget. If your desired date and/or image has already been secured, I will gladly offer some alternatives that are available. Modifying flash (zeroing in on a part of an image, extending texture to blend more seamlessly with skin, etc) is always an option! I am taking customs within the realm of the subject matter I usually deal with: found/decayed objects and relics, marine/paleobiology, geology. If it involves a textural representation of the effects of time on an object/planet or if it looks like an alien life form, I’m usually interested! NOTE: If you have a specific custom concept inspired by or similar to a piece that you’ve seen me do, feel free to inquire- however, I never ever replicate pieces which I have made before, so please do not ask me to do so.
Upon receiving an email request to secure a piece and date, I will send back an intake form with information for you on pricing, process, etc, as well as some information for me that you can fill out regarding sizing, placement, accessibility and sensory needs, etc.
OPEN DATES: September 2nd, 5th, 12th, 15th, 19th, 26th, and 28th
AVAILABLE PIECES:
I’m going to close with a little excerpt from “Radical Amazement” for the consideration of anyone who is in a contemplative mood and not totally tired of reading this email yet:
Imagine that you are a witness to the supernova that gave birth to our sun. See the giant burning star grow redder and redder and then die as it explodes into billions of pieces, rippling space and spewing cosmic debris in all directions. Acknowledge the loss that this death has brought about…Envision the debris from the supernova interacting with a great cloud of hydrogen, as bits and pieces are pulled together by gravity, taking the shape of a new star. Watch as the sun cools and begins a regular rotation, holding planets in orbit. Bring your attention to the planet Earth. See how her outer crust hardens, seas gather, and life begins to emerge. Become aware of how closely connected our life is to the sun. Considering what you have envisioned, what new perceptions of life and death can you begin to allow to emerge within you?
In awe and exploration,
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