'Until it is Faced…': Meditative Audio Guides

'Until it is Faced…' is a collection of 9 meditative audio guides that offer new ways of engaging with artworks included in Liverpool Biennial 2023

‘Until it is Faced…’ is a collection of 9 meditative audio guides by creative practitioner Louise Thompson that offer new ways of engaging with artworks included in Liverpool Biennial 2023.

Across our venues and public realm sites – during The Middle Passage and beyond – these spoken audio guides promote alternative forms of engagement with specific artworks and the broader themes of the festival.

Intended to be listened to whilst viewing artworks, they aim to bring our awareness to mental health through engaging with art and wellbeing practices. They offer audiences an opportunity to reflect on artworks, along with their relationship to emotional health and all that connects us.

These audio guides can be accessed below, or by using the camera on most smart phones to scan the QR codes which are on the artwork captions nearby.

Transcribed versions of the audio are also available to download below, or on request at our venues

Liverpool Biennial · We Are The Seeds

We Are The Seeds

This meditation responds to the theme of growth in Binta Diaw’s Chorus of Soil. It explores the concept of post-traumatic growth and how some people can experience positive psychological change as a result of struggle. It acknowledges the trauma referenced in Diaw’s artwork and focuses on the themes of repair, healing and care. The title of this meditation relates to the idea that those who have suffered immensely can experience new life and bear the fruits of justice later.

Liverpool Biennial · Rest Is Radical

Rest Is Radical

Inspired by Ranti Bam’s Ifa sculptures, this meditation reflects on how social systems convince us that everything is urgent and considers the different ways we strive to be ‘good enough’. Stepping back from this constant striving and instead opting to rest, is a radical act of resistance. This meditation considers the stools incorporated in Ranti Bam’s artworks – the functional use of a stool, as well as their symbolism as objects for rest, soothing and contemplation.

Liverpool Biennial · Yindyamarra And The Power Of Slow

Yindyamarra And The Power Of Slow

Learning to do things slowly is a key element of Yindymarra – the aboriginal philosophy central to Brook Andrew’s works. This audio meditates on the wellbeing benefits of going slowly as well as how difficult it can be for us to slow down in the 21st century.

Liverpool Biennial · Noli Timere; Don't Be Afraid

Noli Timere; Don't Be Afraid

Noli Timere is Latin for ‘do not be afraid’. In this audio audiences are encouraged to not be afraid when grieving. Grief can evoke a range of emotions in us, including the fear of never getting over the loss, which can make our struggle harder. Inspired by the theme of loss in Isa do Rosário’s Dança com a Morte no Atlântico, this meditation reflects on the universal experience of grief and how it connects us all.

Liverpool Biennial · Healing

Healing

The theme of healing is interwoven throughout artworks at Tobacco Warehouse and Cotton Exchange. In this meditation listeners are invited to reflect on how kindness and compassion helps us to heal.
The care shown to us from loved ones aids our healing journey, but
self- kindness is just as important, if not more so.
Many of us may struggle with the notion of self-compassion and the reasons for this are explored in this audio.

Liverpool Biennial · The Body Remembers

The Body Remembers

Several artworks included in Liverpool Biennial highlight the effects of colonialism on the descendants of people who were enslaved.
They acknowledge the trauma Black bodies have experienced and continue to experience – contemplating the effect on people’s mental and physical health today. This meditation explores the relationship between the body and stress, and how movement is medicine when it comes to processing difficult and challenging emotions.

Liverpool Biennial · Mindful Walking In The City

Mindfulness Practice: Mindful Walking In The City

Mindfulness is a technique that has been proven to improve our mental wellbeing. This audio recording is an opportunity for you to enjoy a more mindful experience of the Biennial, whether that’s engaging with an artwork or simply walking from one venue to another.

Liverpool Biennial · Slow Looking At Art

Mindfulness Practice: Slow Looking At Art

Mindfulness is a technique that has been proven to improve our mental wellbeing. This audio recording is an invitation to look more slowly and consciously as a way to enjoy a more mindful experience when engaging with artworks across the Biennial.

Liverpool Biennial · Spirit, Air, Wind, Breath

Mindfulness Practice: Spirit, Air, Wind, Breath

This breathing meditation responds to themes within the artwork of Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński. An invitation to explore the power of breathing and its ability to bring us back to the present moment in times of overwhelm.
This short breathing practice aims to connect us to our breath. Tuning us in to its rhythm and movement as a way to harness a sense of calm as we remind ourselves to be attentive to the ebbs and flows of breath, and everyday life.

Until it is faced… Audio Transcripts
Download now

About the creator

Louise Thompson creates and highlights connections between art and the human condition. Her work supports people to learn about their mental health through engaging with art and wellbeing practices. Thompson’s belief is that understanding how our bodies and minds work is the key to a happy and fulfilling life.

Self-awareness, emotional intelligence and mindfulness are at the heart of Louise’s practice. These 9 art meditations offer an opportunity to explore some of the themes within Liverpool Biennial whilst reflecting on our relationship to our emotional health as a way to promote wellbeing more widely.

Find out more here: https://museummindfulness.com/