Rituals are the bedrock of our sense-making in this world….they help us regulate emotions, our goal/performance states, and our connection to other people.
Kursat Ozenc
It is with this sentiment on rituals that I approached five creative practitioners; Byron Fredericks, Refilwe Nkomo, Helena Uambembe, Simnikiwe Buhlungu and Tazmé Pillay. I wanted to get a sense of how artists are reflecting on the past year as they ready themselves for new beginnings. In particular, I wanted to know about rituals within their practices and how these are useful in carving out generative space for creative work. In thinking through this article and reading the responses below, it quickly became clear that there exists a slight difference between a ritual and a routine. Foregrounded by intentionality; rituals are routines that go beyond the comforting rhythm. They embody a slower and more deliberate cadence… perhaps they are best thought of as the more high-minded yin to the yang of regular sequential actions.
Fredericks, whose practice coalesces painting, drawing, ceramics and furniture design, is concerned with clarity of thought, which he achieves through the ritual of tidying. Artist-writer-curator Nkomo meditates and walks frequently to cultivate a healthy mind. For Uambembe, whose practice spans across printmaking, performance and installation, rituals encompass those actions that afford her more presence and a clearer mental state. Visual artist Buhlungu revels in the goodness of sleep, music and jam sessions with friends. Multi-disciplinary performance artist and founder of The Death of Glitter, Tazmé Pillay finds inspiration in fashion and makeup—things that allow for the adornment of the body as a site of potentiality.
With an embrace for uncertainty, feelings of hope, excitement and a deep yearning for groundedness the reflections below offer us an opportunity to connect with the artists in a frank and unpretentious way.
How would you reflect on 2020 in relation to your practice?
2020 has been a sort of wake up call and has given me the time to refocus on my practice. I live and work in New York and we went into lockdown from March until mid-June. Keep in mind that we were at the end of our winter going to spring and spent a lot of time indoors. NYC is a rat race and you barely have a breather, you barely have a second to just be with your thoughts. My time was spent planning and restructuring my practice. This included discussions on how and what subject matter I would like to focus on, reorganising my studio to accommodate multiple mediums, and most importantly actively figuring out who I am and why I like the things I like. The latter is part of a larger conversation that is still ongoing and will influence how and why I make the work I do. During our summer I found myself dyeing and painting large canvases on my rooftop with different brooms and sprayers. These are still unresolved and are still in the works…
What is your vision for 2021 in relation to your work?
I wouldn’t really describe or narrate a set vision because many things could happen from now till 2022. I have started to reorientate my mind to plan and map out bodies of work I would like to make in different mediums ranging from painting and ceramics primarily. I’ve also realised how important a role environments play and the people within them. I’m looking to surround myself with more creative communities to share ideas, thoughts, and experiences. That being said, I do have a wishlist for 2021—this includes buying a kiln, showing with a good gallery and having space and time to make the work I feel compelled to make.
Do you have a set of rituals that you consider crucial to being able to make work?
My main ritual is organising and cleaning my studio to prepare for something new to come after every project. In terms of research, I mentally prepare myself by looking at and documenting different things. These could be things I see on the streets, museums or things that people say or do. Recently I find myself writing down my thoughts on paper in the form of a journal entry. I’ll write down thoughts or ideas related to my practice, thoughts related to myself and how these all influence each other. I think research is very crucial to everything I do. This is something I haven’t been doing enough of and now have been taking the time to do much more of.
What rituals do you wish to cultivate in the future?
Not so much a ritual, but something to plan for is to travel and do at least two different residencies in different mediums over the course of the year. I think as human beings we learn so much more about culture and ourselves when we are outside our comfort zones. If I can’t do this, I would like to learn techniques and skills from other creatives. Knowledge is key and the more you learn, the more your mind opens up to more possibilities.
In 3 words, describe your current feelings about this new year.
Nothing to lose.
How would you reflect on 2020 in relation to your practice?
2020 has been a year of composting. Like a compost pile, there are all these undesirable, disregarded things that go into it, making the whole, an intricate, abundant space—often dark—but in and through that darkness, transformation takes place. My work has been like that, many small deaths, many small changes, and in the death and change is renewal and rebirth.
What is your vision for 2021 in relation to your work?
To expand, to sprinkle some of that compost and be open to what emerges.
Do you have a set of rituals that you consider crucial to being able to make work?
Yes. I’d say the rituals are crucial for me to live in a healthy way, which allows me to make work: I journal a lot. I write morning pages each day. I meditate and walk a lot. I drink a lot of water. I start each day reading a poem or part of text that I’m working with and allowing [it] to work through me.
What rituals do you wish to cultivate in the future?
I’m working on starting each day with a haiku—so writing a haiku a day, there’s something in the discipline and structure of form that expands you, makes you go a little farther and deeper each day, and I would like to practice that more. Over the past year, I’ve realised I don’t rest as much as I need to, so I’m prioritising intentional rest and being in and closer to nature which feels really important to me right now.
In 3 words, describe your current feelings about this new year.
Homecoming. Coming home.
How would you reflect on 2020 in relation to your practice?
I was blessed enough to have taken part in shows even if they were online. I was able to connect with a number of creatives from different parts of the world thanks to the virtual reach. As much as a physical opening is still important and fun—through zoom openings that I had for shows such as The Borders of Memory with Guns & Rain—we were able to reach a wider audience.
Do you have a set of rituals that you consider crucial to being able to make work?
I begin my working day with a cup of tea that I enjoy in silence to plan out my day. I found that resting is very important, I sometimes pull all-nighters, neglecting rest and food, even water. These days I put my health first if I am tired I rest.
What rituals do you wish to cultivate in the future?
I wish to exercise more, I found that working out or doing some physical activity helps clear my mind and gives me more energy, which is great for making art.
In 3 words, describe your current feelings about this new year?
Hopeful, excitement and a bit anxious.
We’re Not Making This Up, 2017.
How would you reflect on 2020 in relation to your practice?
Not that I would be adding anything particularly new, but I didn’t find this as a year of “using the downtime from the pandemic to be productive and from that production, something un-2020 coming out” at all. I think pauses, responses, thinkings and projects from this year have traces of the circumstantial changes in the (many kinds of) world(s); in that, it is impossible to escape some kind of 2020-ness in my practice this year. I’m not sure how to feel about that as—like for most—there were interests prioritised that I personally found more interesting in relation to my practice that exist a bit peripherally to these circumstances. That being said, I do understand and acknowledge that circumstances place you in a position to re-think this process of prioritising. I hope that makes sense.
Do you have a set of rituals that you consider crucial to being able to make work?
Eish, they have stayed the same I suppose. Answering emails/accounting for administration. And sleep too. Music also. New things do, however, include access to a reading group and jam sessions with friends, in whichever form is doable. I think there are a few things I am leaving out. I’m tempted to lie and say meditating but I don’t really know how to do that. I like to watch short clips of bad reality shows like Date My Family and 90 Day Fiance because I’m constantly in awe of the various levels of language that participants navigate; it’s amazing! Also important is writing in journals, too (I think that’s what I left out).
What rituals do you wish to cultivate in the future?
Reading and drawing much more. This would help with not muting my thinking sometimes. A consistent sleep pattern for health purposes and to limit occupational hazards. Pausing. More reading group and jam session contexts, it’s a great way to share. Hmmm, I don’t know, all of this is very difficult to answer in the midst of so much uncertainty. Not to trivialise these circumstances, but it’s a bit like being on the phone with someone when you are buying some food and you ask “what would you like to eat?” and then the other person says, “I’m not sure. I’ll eat whatever you eat!” and back and forth. So I feel like I’m asking my practice a few questions and she’s answering in circles, you know?
In 3 words, describe your current feelings about this new year?
Angazi angazi angazi!
Photograph by Elliot Naude.
How would you reflect on 2020 in relation to your practice?
2020 presented me with the most growth but also the most despair I have ever felt creatively. At the start of our lockdown, I was driven by this need to protect the space I created for all these beautiful club kids, a space they felt home at. I knew so many would be locked down in places with people who may not understand them or allow them to explore their true selves. So, I churned out all this digital content. My practice grew through the learning of new skills like live streaming and thinking of creative ways to present a DJ set that’s not just someone in headphones behind the decks because that’s very boring to watch for an hour. I learnt all these new online skills, very quickly. But the thing is, I deal in the act of liveness. My medium is the live experience and subtracting that was actually very alienating and has led to many questions and dilemmas for me. By the later half of the year—and still now maybe—I’ve been feeling creatively exhausted. I can’t create these spaces that hold such meaning for people when I don’t feel inspired. It all hinges on that spark.
What is your vision for 2021 in relation to your work?
To rest and to rediscover the things that inspire. And meditate on what I’ve been inspired by over the course of the last year. I need to recalibrate, to recharge and create for the joy of creating. That may mean laying The Death of Glitter to rest for a bit, but for now, that’s the right choice. I want to commit to doing the admin I’ve been putting off. I want to lay the foundations for the new chapter of this event’s life.
Do you have a set of rituals that you consider crucial to being able to make work?
I change my style a lot and experiment with looks which kind of hint towards these ideas and the aesthetics of what I’m working with conceptually. I love exploring the feeling of a concept, of an era through tactile things. Fashion, my makeup. Things that can help me embody the feeling that I want to create at the party I’m hosting or the set I’m about to play. Adorning the body as a site of potentiality; what if I could be this? How then, would the world feel? It’s definitely shifted over the past year in a very big way. I’m not going into the world, I’m not in places where I can perform these ideas with my body. So, I guess I’ve settled into a uniform over the past year. Things are more utilitarian; trousers, boots, a strong-shouldered blazer and almost no makeup. By not being able to create my work as it’s usually created, I’ve noticed the process shift entirely. It was like re-learning my craft in a different language. I had to not think in embodiment and liveness, but rather, in transmissions and data. It was echoed in my style over the past year, for sure. Lots of tailored leather, very The Matrix but by Mugler. I still beat my face when I’m bored though—just to stay on top of my drag and also it’s really fun.
What rituals do you wish to cultivate in the future?
To take care of myself better, to be honest. Physically and mentally. I want to learn the ritual of rest. I need to flourish my creativity, not exploit it. I put a lot of pressure on myself, I feel responsible for so many people who have found freedom through my parties and my work and I don’t want them to feel alone. But now, you know… I’m not sure I can give them or myself something I can be truly satisfied with creatively. And that has taught me to rest and recharge, re-learn. To be a child again in order to re-inspire myself with the random magic that exists around us and when I am ready, I can share my picture of that magic with the world.
In 3 words, describe your current feelings about this new year?
Party, Art and Sex.
