Cloud Canopy
Cloud Canopy is a vibrant fabric-based installation constructed from a combination of Repreve fabric (made from recycled plastic bottles) and traditional nylon. The project was carefully installed as to not cause harm to the ecosystem of the park. Lightweight pieces wrap around trees without damaging plant and animal habitats, nor interrupting their growth.
The organic stretches of color act as extensions of the tree branches, echoing the movement of the leaves almost like oblique, oversized Tibetan Prayer Flags. The individual pieces of the installation simultaneously work separately and as a whole responding to a space where nature and the urban landscape collide. The scale and density of the composition invites visitors of the park and the City Market to physically immerse themselves in the panels of color, or to observe them from afar. Within the context of the park, the whimsical, playful forms might be reminiscent to some of playgrounds or jungle gyms. This work, however, is intended towards promoting restfulness and contemplation as much as physical activity. Above all, the installation aims to restore a sense of vitality to its audience and its environment, bringing presence and awareness to shared physical space.
Congruous with her art studio practice, Monica Dixon’s meditation practice explores engagement with sensory recognition as a means to focus one’s attention and bring awareness to the here and now. In her work with materials, she uses the visual language of vibrant color, familiar textures, liminal forms to call viewers into relationship with their own physicality. Monica approaches leading meditation in a similar way. By coming into awareness of the present, meditation gives us the opportunity to simultaneously cultivate contentment while disrupting complacency.
As part of the installation, guided meditation sessions will be held in City Market Park (dates and times below).
Location
City Market Park is located at 3rd and Main Street, directly west of the City Market.
Guided meditation: 12:15-12:45 pm
Bio
Monica Dixon is a resident artist with the Charlotte Street Foundation and a local yoga, movement and meditation instructor. Her visual practice involves repurposing found materials into collages, masks, sculptures, and installations that explore corporeal intelligence through liminal forms.
monicajdixon.com
Instagram: @m.o.n.i.c.a.d.i.x.o.n
