Birth Dance and Full Circles

The other day I heard someone on the radio making a distinction between threat and challenges, and I thought, yes, I suppose I didn't see illness as a threat but more as a challenge.

And a challenge it was, and sometimes still is... There is rarely a week or day when my body doesn't remind me who is in control.
Yes 'we' have found ways to work together.
Meditation. Stillness. Nature. Creativity. Writing. Social contact.
The activities on the list are all to be done in short spells of time. But, even within this short spurts of activity, a whole lot can be achieved. It just takes a "little" longer. (Maybe "little" is an understatement?)
My sculpture "Birth Dance" took five months to make.
But I can't be less proud of the result. (See sculpture in the making here)

Birth Dance © Corina Duyn 2016 (approx 60x60x60cm)

I have come to understand that my art pieces often reflect 'where I am at' in life.  These connections sometimes took me years to see. Maybe I am a little more aware at this stage. I might not yet be dancing (as in dance as we know it) but I have moments of feeling the dance of life.

I had wanted to create a dance sculpture after my stay at Annaghmakerrig in 2013. On the last day I had found myself alone in the dance studio, staring at my own image in the wall to wall mirrors. A slightly uncomfortable event at first. In my head I am as free as a bird. The reality was that I was out of breath from walking up the path. I was held upright by two walking sticks. My movements were not exaclty gracious. I must admit that for the first twenty minutes or so I looked out the window, my back towards the mirrors. I had to build up the courage to really see.

The sculpture however did not come. 

I did start with the head and body for a puppet. It wasn't great. 

My creative spirit obviously had other plans for me.

I wrote Into the Light over a two year period.

During this time I created sculptures like these:

Sinking, Reaching Out and Emerging, ...

Out of the Box, ...

and Wisdom.

I obviously had some more learning to do before I could enjoy the dance!

There are days in the past few months that I feel a change is happening in my body. In my life. But before I get too complacent my body gives me reminders not to start looking at dance classes as yet, or at the bicycle I might want to buy...

All in good time. Patience. And Practice.

In two weeks time though I have an exhibition at Carnegie Arts Centre in Kenmare which I have given the title Full Circle

Full Circle as in returning to the first town I lived in after moving to Ireland- half my life time ago.

Full Circle in terms of the bicycle wheel of my past (maybe my future) and the wheelchair wheel of the present.

Full Circle as in having learned a great deal from the experience of illness, and having found a way to be well, although in a different way.

Full Circle that I have been teaching again, like my last job when becoming ill in 1998.

More about the exhibition in the next blog post, but for now, see Details  here

Thanks for joining me on my little planet in cyberspace.

I would love to hear from you. And if you comment here, than others can see it too.

Best wishes to you.

Corina