Spirited Arts 2022

Jet

Age 12

St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School

Qigong: Energy Around Us - A View of The World

My artwork is a photo I have taken of myself doing qigong. Qigong (pronounced chi gung) is an ancient Chinese practice from the Taoist tradition. It is a series of exercises and meditations that teaches us to connect with the universal energy known as qi through mind, body, and spirit. This is a long exposure photograph of me doing one of the main exercises from qigong called Hua Gong, with a light in my hand to represent the energy flowing around the body. While doing this exercise you are trying to get better at experiencing qi and helping it to flow through and around the body in healthy ways. As you get better at the exercise you start to use a less effort to move your arms until they are almost entirely carried by the energy. This work fits under the theme of “Worldviews” as qigong is about having a direct experience of a higher spiritual plane rather than a connection with a divine being. Lao Tzu says, “Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This clearly shows the principle of softness overcoming hardness”. Just as water is a source for all living things which gives plants and animals physical energy to survive, qigong provides energy of the mind and spirit for mental and spiritual well-being.