RiTUAL. A ceremonial act ~ Rites used in the course of worship ~ The performance of ceremonial acts ~ The prescribed form of conducting the ceremony ~ A method of procedure that is followed without variation ~ performance with gestures, words, and objects, often in a sequestered place.
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Amy Ralston is an emerging artist whose varied experience brings a richness to her sculptures’ form and content. After receiving a BA in Architecture from Wellesley College, she attended graduate school for architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Although she has never practiced as an architect, her focus in school on the experiential nature of architecture has informed her approach to sculpture. Similarly, her work as a software developer has influenced her understanding of the ‘user’, of levels of abstraction, and of methods of communicating information. Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois are among her influences. A recent interest in the forms and methods of bacteria has begun to express its symptoms in her work. She is currently an Artist in Residence at Heron Studios in Aston, PA.
This book is made with wool that has been felted over fabric, bound by thread. Felting, which involves repeatedly strikng the wool with a set of barbed needles, seemed like an appropriate manner in which to create a book on ritual. The book's visual narrative explores the ways in which the order and repetition of ritual allows for greater awareness of inexorable change. This content was particularly influenced by my current meditation practice.
