The Eight Dissolutions, directed by Arkan Zakharov / concept – wearable pieces – music by Erik Bergrin

Directed by Arkan Zakharov
Concept-wearable pieces-music by Erik Bergrin

The 8 Dissolutions
The video takes its name from the 8 dissolutions, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice that visualizes the shutting down of one’s senses one by one as an exploration of mortality in the recurring cycle of death and rebirth. The intricate wearable pieces seen in the video are created by Erik Bergrin using traditional techniques such as weaving and felting, as well as grown from unusual materials such as seaweed, fermented tea, and different types of crystallizations. Each piece is associated with a sound that is layered one-by-one to make the soundtrack for the video, performed by Erik. Each dissolution is accompanied by a mudra, a hand sign. A butoh dancer acts as the mudra teacher and guides the viewer through the journey.

Erik Bergrin is a fiber artist based in New York City, who fuses ancient and contemporary fiber techniques in works which alchemize psychological shadows into creative freedom. He draws on his background in costume design, as well as a study in meditation and the investigation of the mind in order to make the work. Using fiber in its relation to tradition, the materials become cultural symbols about my personal myth. “The basis of my study of spirituality, is to find exactly what it is in your mind you don’t want to be there and rip it out. My work is my way of bringing out my shadows.”