Center for Experimental Contemplatives

Center for Experimental Contemplatives, row boat, books, marker, 2012 (Installation view: The Lab, San Francisco)

During her residency at The Lab with Sasha Petrenko + Pieces of You-Topia, and with the collaborative support of co-resident Miriam Dym, Day transformed an old wooden row boat into a Center for Experimental Contemplatives and then parked it outside The Lab for one day in order to perform a series of contemplative experiments. These experiments included a time-lapse sequence of the shifting light on the boat from sunrise to sunset, as well as a series of photographed and filmed encounters with onlookers and participants both in and out of the boat. At times this required the artist to wear a custom-made yellow jacket made by fellow resident, Miriam Dym of DymProducts. Day will be presenting the results of these experiments at the closing at The Lab, Friday August 26th. This work furthers Day’s research into a recent series of multi-faith, multi-media and multi-sensory Study Guides for Experimental Contemplatives (also on view at The Lab). Special thanks to Verne and Cynthia Bryant for generously loaning the boat for the duration of the residency and to Frank Ham for assistance with photography.