Sentience
Wojtek Kutyla
Self Published
English
Softcover
60 pages
152 x 177 mm
2015
ISBN 9788393466016
‘Sentience documents two years of my exploration of emptiness, space and silence. All photographs in the book were taken intuitively, to mark passing moments and to preserve their delicate state. To memorize feelings in the context of physical environment. Nothing was planned. I was waiting for my conscience to manifest images to me.
I see the book as a loose description of multiple states of mind which we experience when moving through time.
In my practice of mindfulness and meditation I often encounter states of peace. I believe that emptiness – stillness of the mind, awareness of one’s own feelings – is truly undervalued in our busy lifestyle. We are constantly on the move, looking for things to occupy our minds with. We are discouraged from not doing and are constantly pushed further by an endless number of tasks, chores and expectations. This is what I want to avoid, as I believe it ultimately leads to destruction of will and awareness.
Sentience illustrates my own process of dealing with basic biological and culturally-constructed conditions: joy, pain, love, desire, loss and fear.
Unavoidably, the book is very personal as it concentrates on my own observations from the period. However, I believe that the message is somewhat universal; we can only be sure of what our minds carry (if even that) and what effects our actions have on our environment and those who are close to us.’
About the Artist
Wojtek Kutyla lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland.
wojtekkutyla.com
