Mahāyāna
The Mahāyāna is an installation that was commissioned by Insomniac Inc., for the Electric Daisy Carnival, the largest single day event in the United States with 90,000 revelers in 2009. After a successful show it has since traveled to; Lucent L'Amore, Lightning in A Bottle, Audiotistic, and the Joshua Tree Music Festival (all in California), as well as Wanderlust Yoga Festivals in both Lake Tahoe & Vermont, Art Outside in Austin, Texas, and the Annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada in 2011, where it was exhibited in the Center Camp Cafe area.
The Mahāyāna functions as a metaphor of each individual’s path to enlightenment. The participant enters a path of photographic light boxes. The light boxes are double sided, so that as one walks through the installation, they can walk inside, as well as step outside the pathway. The images on either side of each box relate to one another, some in a metaphorical way, others more literally. For instance, one side may be of a doorway, which leads inside a sacred site, the other side may be the view once you have stepped through the doorway. The photographic images within are of many ancient, spiritual, and sacred sites, as well as majestic landscapes, sacred pilgrimages and celebrations of life. The images reflect the beauty and awe of our world and encourage one to take a leap of faith, to step outside of the boundaries. One aim of the installation is to remind us, that each individual’s path is as valid as another. Where one begins and how one finds enlightenment is a personal quest, each as true as the next.
The term “Mahāyāna” is a Sanskrit word, literally translated it is “Great Vehicle”. “Mahāyāna” can be described as a loosely bound collection of many teachings with large and expansive doctrines that are all able to coexist simultaneously. “Mahāyāna" also refers to the path of seeking complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. (Footnote:Wikipedia)
All images shot by Linka A Odom, unless otherwise noted.
