Art, Meditation, Ecology
Atom
by Atom - Dot by Dot
Mandala #3 from set of #100, Organiverse
Pointillism, 8.5 cm diameter, by Henri van Bentum
Created in Morocco and the island of Madeira. My work
is in over 225 public and private collections around the world. All 100
mandalas are done in pointillism, dot by dot. The original Organiverse portfolio consists of twenty-five pages, each with four spherical drawings 8.5 cm in diameter.
"The work of Henri
van Bentum reminds us of organic processes on the cosmic and microcosmic
levels. His work helps me understand the vastness, complexity and beauty of the
cosmos. van Bentum's work is executed with a fine sense of colour and other
elements. I see his work as a paradigm for enduring works of art in the
future." Former Professor Leslie Mezei, Computer Sciences, U of T.
Quote from the former
Curator, National Gallery of Canada, Prints and Drawings:
“The technique of the [Organiverse] drawings is
comprised of finely-tuned transparent and opaque layers of colour. This play of
contrasts gives the work a three-dimensional quality enhanced by a delicate
luminosity. The colours are complicated and would require a sensitive use of
colour separation. In order to maintain the integrity of the original drawing
imagery and effect, the most articulate reproductive methods would have to be
utilized.”
Rosemary L. Tovell, Curator, Canadian Prints
and Drawings National Gallery of Canada, 1979
Meditation
Organiverse is a meditational aid or 21st century
kasina device. It is used to enhance meditation practice.
“Organiverse is a glimpse into the multilayered beauty of all that is Life. These mandalas offer an immense opportunity for healing and for a heart-based understanding of who we are physically, emotionally and spiritually. A dance of colour, form and contemplation.”
Dr. Mark Sherman, MDCM, CCFP
Ecology
Back in the 1950's I was already looking at environmental issues. I've always advocated ‘Small is Beautiful’ and work on a small scale, using a minimum of resources for maximum results.
Click here for details about the Organiverse rotation handset which comes with a wood container made from recovered wood
from Vancouver Island.
Photo of the Organiverse handheld set
Notes on the original
Organiverse Portfolio
This unique series of pointillism mandalas was
started in Morocco in 1972. Natasha and
I were living in the former Phoenician fishing village of Essaouira, and
afterwards moved to the island of Madeira where the work was completed.
The original Organiverse portfolio consists of
twenty-five pages, each with four spherical drawings 8 cm in diameter. The work
was made into a 35mm colour and sound short film by filmmaker Julius Kohanyi in
1973. He was commissioned for this project by the Ontario Arts Council. Since
that time, the film has represented Canada in major international film
festivals around the world.
My motivation in creating Organiverse was to have
it reproduced in a limited edition and made available to libraries, art
schools, universities and museums. Although pleased with the film’s success, my
goal had not been realized. The contemplative nature of the work, with its
refined visual sensibility and meditative characters, was lost on the huge 35mm
theatre screens.
Over the years, I tried to get the Organiverse
Portfolio printed. However an accurate rendering of the colour was impossible
owing to the pointillist technique (using traditional printing technology).
However, through a partnership with Hewlett Packard
(HP), the portfolio was scanned and reproduced using the latest HP imaging
technology, in a limited edition of twenty-five sets.
These scans were further used to create the new
Organiverse: Art Meditation Ecology set, featuring each mandala on a separate
card.
Creation of the new
"Starry Night" edition of ORGANIVERSE
Following a successful experiment with HP, we had a reverse edition of the original Organiverse set created, called “Starry Night”. I would like to thank Joe Carr, Brian W. Johnson and Garry Sedun for their technical assistance. Click here to watch videos of both the original, and the Starry Night editions.
Mandala #25 from the set of #100,
"Starry Night" edition of Organiverse, Henri van Bentum
"While we are occupied with our daily existence, a
great mystery takes place: Life, evolving in every form, from micro to the
macro cosmos. We on our planet Earth finally begin to realize there may be
other life in the Universe.
With this project, we share insights into this
enigma called life, embracing art, science and ecology a timeless universalism
of growth, evolution or genesis --- we have the microscope and telescope
within, and an unknown destiny. This work also embraces the interplay and relationship
of Colour. It is further a study in organic development. The invisible is made
visible, through dots.
We are biologically no more nor less than dots ---
atoms. The planets and even the Sun are only a spot in space, depending from
where you look. We have seen, when astronauts go further and further away from
Earth, our receding planet then quickly disappears into what one astronaut
simply called a dot.
We leave our own world behind, and find a new and
alien world, until eventually we leave even that, continuing further to another
dot, only to discover that it is again an unknown giant in space.
All life has a beginning, be it the birth of
plankton, a whale, lichen, an oak tree, a mouse, and elephant or human being.
All comes out of darkness the womb, the cosmic egg. Beyond darkness and
ignorance there awaits Light."
Henri van Bentum, written
in 1972