Tobey Crockett...
My pieces of the Peace Pie are filled with many images of the Earth from space. It was important to me to have a multiplicity of visions for what our one planet can look like. I feel one of the overlooked problems in envisioning global peace is a strong emphasis on universality—as though we somehow have to magically blend our voices into one harmonic chord. I think this is problematic. In fact, I think we have to cultivate a growing tolerance for disharmony and what may, at first blush, seem to be purely chaotic. Rather than imposing harmony from without, finding the inner beauty in chaos is a theme of these mandala pieces.
I also had an unusual experience in the days following this work, as I attended a Native American Women’s Long Dance event. We offered prayers all night while dancing and drumming ceaselessly from sunset to sunrise. As I look at the collages I made, I see how I was already anticipating this profound ceremonial occasion. For me, the message of the Native American chief telling us to expand our consciousness is one of the principle images here. Also, the bright orange circle of women dancing is clearly related to the ceremony, and there are several other pieces of Native American, indigenous or sacred imagery present in these pieces. The angel and butterfly represent transformation. The young African girl represents my shadow, and while she has been neglected and experiences material poverty, she is energetically wide open, receptive and loving. My choices to work on the peace mandala collage and to attend this challenging ceremony were ways to acknowledge and nourish this inner child shadow of mine, and to enjoy the company of other women with similar goals.
Finally, the Mary Magdalene contemplating the candle, reflecting on the shortness of our precious human lifetime, is a reminder of how quickly our ways of knowing can morph from one state to another. Images of flowing water, the yin yang and the zero point of perfect balance and potentiality were conscious choices which grew out of the writings on the senses which we did with our non-dominant hands. Roses, birdsong, candlelight and companionship represent a few of the themes in these sense-based writings, imagery which I included in my pieces of the pie.
Ultimately, the peace pie mandala ends with what the viewer takes away from seeing this eclectic and multi-phased process laid out. I hope it moves people to see that there are many visions of peace, that their own vision of peace could easily be added to the mandala, and that peace in our lifetime does not have to come in a single flavor. The world is a complicated bundle, filled with lots of strong medicine. Peace is a process which begins in our own hearts and unfolds outward from there.