Inner Space

Fiber Sculpture & Live Experience by Kelsy Osterman, 2019.

Digital Photography by Zoe Prinds Flash

My second live experience, an immersive art show explored the senses. Photo, fiber, video, sound, and a 45-minute exercise of silence were all utilized to encourage the viewer to tap into their inner world – despite a little initial discomfort.

Inner Space is the life force that energetically surrounds us and informs our physical form. It is the curator of our emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being. Our inner space is a place where we can explore and get to know ourselves on a deeper level. It’s a place that can scare us into retreat, and many believe that discomfort in this space should be avoided at all costs, however, I believe that it has the power to help us develop and grow our inner understanding. 

With this show, I was inspired to create another sensory landscape that challenged my viewers to confront a manageable dose of discomfort which I hoped would allow them the space to find the beauty within that uneasy feeling.

Photo, fiber, video, and sound, adorned the spacious, but intimate, gallery setting where we began with a 45-minute exercise of silence. In stripping off access to one of the senses, I hoped to allow more space for participants’ other senses to expand. My audience at first was uncomfortable with the idea of silence but soon found safety in the extra space it left behind. Participants were given a journal starting with grounding questions leading to blank space and encouraged to express themselves in whatever way they felt compelled to. As the audience eased into their discomfort, we saw bold acts of individuality exploding from each person from dance, to drawing, to journaling.