ritual – the established form for a ceremony; any formal and customarily repeated act or series of acts.
habit – a behaviour pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly or completely involuntary. compulsive behaviour
routine – a regular course of procedure – mechanical performance of an established procedure. uninspired commonplace.
(Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation.)
Ritual has many purposes. One is to satisfy a particular external force that is used to point to ‘something’ outside of the objective or the action of the ritual. Another purpose is the transcendence that is implied with the application of a ritualistic model. A transformation of a spiritual state would not only be for the artist, but for the viewer as well. Ritual also interrupts our perception of time, thus creating psychological spaces particular to the participants taking part in the ritual.
My routine actions, repetitive both in process and result, are intended to point back to the material or object that is subjected to the activity. Conceptually, the actions become a form of control, a way to make what I do more efficient. In very simple terms, the activities allow the work to get done. Due to my use of repetition, the meaning and focus in reference to the sculpture are directed back to the sculpture as a body composed of parts (material and actions).
Habit is ingested into the being of the physical body subsequently creating a situation conducive to the efficient implementation of particular actions. It is important that the systems I choose for a particular work are well organized according to the properties given by circumstance and material. Resolving ways to execute tasks to maximize time and energy, yet at the same time maintaining the veracity of the work is proactive in the totality of my activities. Attention to the most unassuming detail is to insure the energies being used are respected and focused on the overall outcome of the work. Habitual attention to the individual components of the work will allow a smoother transition between each constituent.
Production, habit, process and ritual became a foundation for efficiency that allows a comprehensive means to deal with exhausting and repetitious activities. From this perspective, ritual behaviour allows for continual investigation of a focused activity that in-turn creates an atmosphere to examine the processes of making within a sculpture-body. A sculpture-body, in my use of the term, is defined as the utilization of physical body, processes, materials, and energy. These components are executed with the assistance of routine and habit. A sculpture-body encompasses objects of activities resulting from work and the conceptual concerns of the relationship between body, material, action and form. This activity has a totality of meaning, therefore, just reading the work metaphorically, linearly or as symbolic is not sufficient for understanding the entirety of the work I undertake.