Happy New Year to all from The Foundry.
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The Foundry Arts Space's annual gift shop will close on January 28, so there is still a little time left to pop into The Foundry and have a look at the amazing variety of handcrafted gifts for sale.
The Foundry is open six days from 10am to 4pm, closed Tuesdays.
We will be taking a short break from January 28 and will reopen on February 14 with the official exhibition opening of John Bradley's much-anticipated exhibition Mandala Dancing in the Bardo on February 15.
The Foundry Arts Space invites you to this momentous exhibition of significant proportion.
This is the first time a three-dimensional representation of this Mandala has ever been displayed in the Southern Hemisphere.
The considerable installation of 100 figures is made from recycled cardboard and paperarranged to create the traditional Himalayan Buddhist Mandala.
John's work is dominated by a recycling ethos as a way of re-appropriating or taking control of discarded things.
In doing so, it gives new purpose to something that may have been considered waste.
In this situation, a simple empty characterless cardboard box is transformed into a deep and meaningful form, delicately cut and curved from its original form of a simple box by John's hand and reborn as an intricate figure, beautiful, stunning and fierce.
All 100 figures express their newfound identity and meaning through the Mandala in thisastonishing exhibition. You may never look at a cardboard box the same way after entering the fascinating world of the Mandala.
The exhibition by John Bradley is an opportunity for the community to step inside and walk through the world of the Mandala, working their way through the complex ideas and understandings of the 100 figures of the peaceful and wrathful deities associated with the Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Great Liberation Through Hearing, a text written in the eighth century by Padmasambhava and later refound by Karma Lingua in the 14th century.
The sculptures will be accompanied by a collection of large paintings which through John'sreflections relate to aspects of the sculptural pieces.
Mandala Dancing in the Bardo officially opens at 2pm on Saturday, February 15.
During the exhibition, John will hold two enriching workshops.
Chanting from the Heart workshop is for all ages and leaves behind the idea that you cannot sing.
This workshop will use a number of important Himalayan Buddhist mantras and, as you learn to chant them, you will also learn some of their deeper meanings.
The 90-minute workshop starts at 10am on Sunday, February 16.
Departures and dissolution is for adults only.
When one engages in serious Buddhist study, two things become important: The preciousness of human life and that all living things will die.
This workshop will explore the theme of symbolically saying goodbye to our life and traditional meditation on death.
The cost is a gold coin donation.
Registration for the workshops is through The Foundry Arts Space Facebook page or website at emai.org.au
Arty-Facts: The awakening.
Siddhartha Gotama was born into the royal family in Lumpini in Nepal in 563BC.
At 29, he realised wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings, religions and philosophies of the day to find the key to human happiness.
After several years of study and meditation, he finally found the middle path and wasenlightened.
After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles ofBuddhism, called the Dhamma until his death at the age of 80.
Buddhism is a religion to more than 300 million people around the world.
Coming from the word budhi, ‘to awaken’, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more a philosophy or way of life.
The Buddhist path is to lead a moral life, to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and to develop wisdom and understanding.
Go creatively, Dee Makeham