in loka b, “the cloud room”

january 12 through february 21

matt sayre | metalworks

january 2009

we received the following piece from painter ona matulic, who was inspired to write it after attending two loka events in december: artist pierre delattre’s exploration on the subject of “coming home to beauty,” and poet dora mcquaid and photographer lenny foster’s reading/exhibition launching their 2009 calendar, “the dreamtime of horses.”  we decided to make ona’s poem/essay our first “guest blog.” what she says is something we all must consider.  let’s let 2009 be about that.  

the audacity of beauty

dares to reflect to us the truth of who we are…

birthright apparent…

folding away from the mundane, peeling it layer by layer, till every act is an act of beauty

i had decided to stop painting …there was simply too much stuff in the world …it can’t feed anyone i told myself.

my paintings didn’t fit in anywhere, not realistic, not completely abstract, not edgy, not hip, not, not, not…

why i would have thought that i should fit into a paradigm that touts independence while all the while keeping us in dependence is beyond me…why i would want to fit into a paradigm that values predatory profit over resource-based nurture is beyond me….what about interdependence?

leafing thru a daniel smith art supply catalogue I came across a quote: dostoyevsky said, “beauty will save the world”

stillness ensued and now

i savor the saving. let it roll around my tongue, palette and teeth:  take it deep within my being and i am fed….and so i continue to paint…not fitting in, rather creating my own space.  a new freedom birthed. others respond to this leap, and together we are nourished.

the audacity of beauty

idiom of essence

prayer of possibility

it’s how we speak source to each other.  How we remind one another of what it means to be

the language of love expresses itself in beauty

there is ecstasy in beauty, in the dance of a form, an image, a gesture, a sound that moves us eloquently  to our  core:  the mirror reflecting luminous

without beauty there is no life, no source,  no force which propels us forward to the realm of exploration, to the divine that we inhabit

it’s the balm that soothes us, the immaculate that draws us toward the light that resides within us.  it is union.

it is how we welcome the divine…  beauty is where we encounter our raging against the dying of the light

connection resides in the heart of beauty

we rest safely in the arms of the mother when we inhabit beauty

it comforts us

like love it is inexhaustible

it dissolves the barricades of separation that have been built up to insulate from hurt and debilitation…it rehabilitates and empowers

it is multiplication in stead of division

growth in stead of stagnation

wonder in stead of despair

it is diving deep into the experience of being here in matter and tangoing with it, allowing us to reflect enchantment and summon each other

it is the dance of oneness, of saying yes to life, to living, to the wonder of each and every moment no matter what it may present

it is how we touch each other and invoke the divine

in the formation of beauty we find ourselves standing toe to toe with creator, becoming one with the design and all who share in our pleasure and tender power

in the presence of beauty we are enlivened, we radiate, energized and illuminated. we pore forth the song of creation which engenders a cellular symphony in the presence of which only kindness can flourish…our hearts open and resonate in gratitude

i see it, feel it, taste and touch it.  i relish the richness of the experience which bathes me in memory

it strengthens and empowers  

it dislodges the debris which clings to molecules and beckon descent

“come back,”  it says, “come back home to wholeness, to the truth you know to be when you gaze into the eyes of the beloved”

beauty is the eyes of the beloved

in the face of utter despair it can softly open a new beginning

it warms the cold that has crept in to the cells from too much holding on

it melts the ice chest of a broken heart: dismemberment morphs to remembering

to bathe in beauty is to recognize the will of heaven

to take your sister’s hand and say, I will…

i see the pain and the beauty and love that are behind that pain

beauty does not die: it re-forms itself in a dance of bold reverberation

it seizes us with life force and demands participation from us

it wraps itself around our hearts, insisting that we answer the call to formation

“see the magnificence!” it cries, tearing at our blinders till they are shredded and we are open

it gleans and cleans away the dross and we are refreshed

beauty is the realm of sacred play throwing open the doors to palpable possibility

sometimes like water shaping stone it takes time to penetrate our armor:  

slowly, irresistibly, it sculpts, till despite our reluctance to join again it has created us in the image of the divine …all-embracing

the circle turns spiral and we float in delight; able once again to reach out and touch another’s hand…eager to accept the depth of experience that their eyes reflect to us…and once again to breathe deeply…and willingly go forth

we re-emerge

we have gently come back into that fine day 

–Ona Matulic

december 2008

as 2008 draws to a close, we have been musing on the functions of a public space such as loka.

sure, we pride ourselves on our fresh daily offerings of organic baked goods, seasonal food items made from scratch, and organic teas and coffee drinks.

and we’re excited about our december events, including explorations on the subject of beauty led by pierre delattre, the launch of a 2009 poetry and photography calendar by dora mcquaid and lenny foster, an exhibition of little-seen visual art by national endowment for the arts poetry fellow john brandi, cutting-edge music-listening opportunities spun by dj oliver knight, and the wonderful annual lighting of ledoux street.

but we like to think we’re more than just a food and art space. there’s a deep human impulse to gather and be with other humans. people want to be able to communicate face to face and in real time. (we saw a tremendous outpouring of this the snowy morning after the election, when people gravitated to the warmth of loka to share their thoughts, emotions, and energies about the momentous events of the previous evening.)

we find it odd that there’s a total absence of words to describe our need for our bodies to be with other bodies and to be seen by the other. what word(s) would you use, borrow, or invent to describe this phenomenon, this primal need we have as human beings?

we’d love to open up discussion about this. really, when you come into loka, what are you here for? 

july 2008

…just look for the ostrich…

Alexandra Gapihan at Loka | June 2008

E L I Z A B E T H   H A I D L E   A T   L O K A

Illustrator extraordinaire,  Elizabeth Haidle tinkers with Mother Nature in, “Hypothetical Creatures”, now showing Loka “A”.  Hypothetical Creatures isolates and reaffirms certain blissful secular values of the Age of Enlightenment and Age of Discovery.  Perhaps some caffeine-induced and vague post-baroque idea-origins of Gottfried Liebniz may arise, along with otherwise obscure and steampunk roots of modern learning referring back 19th century new world fantasies.   Beth’s amazing collection may even conjure - or arouse - the embattled ghost of Charles Darwin and his dilligent unbiased recordings of the natural world. 

The show’s central feature consists of a linear sequence of 25 clayboard etchings, each detailing a fictitonal hybrid lifeform designed by beth.  Each conceivable specimen is comprised of two functional biological parts, brilliantly and imaginatively tagged. 

Are these species fictitional or do they really exist?  That is the question given to consider. 

the e-word is alive and well.  we notice in beth’s work a socio-political wish-metaphor speaking to the profound dumbing down of – in particular – our united states of america.   coinciding with the relentless push of the likes of religious and otherwise large-scale collective organizational entities posessing the conspicuous intent to delete arduous centuries of progressive social agreements – agreements that power autonomy and free society -  a secular society we most often feel fortunate to be born into, rely on, and take for granted. 

Be in touch with Beth and her extensive range of projects via her website, www.ehaidle.com

We feel Beth deserves a medal for fearlessly and innocently stating the obvious.  Something local area Lab scientists refuse to stand up to (to inquire upon a local reference - and absolutely in no way referring to you, dear Amanda)

beth’s work will continue to show and be available for purchase at paper cloud, a fine paper goods store and all occasion gift shop located in the ledoux plaza courtyard across from cafe loka.  if you love paper and print, you’ll love paper cloud!

Current artist Elizabeth Haidle (right) at Cafe Loka on a warm summer day.  july 10, 2008.