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in Occult Geometry Jennifer tee’s visual and sculptural language cap-tures and re-activates themes within western art history imbued with east-ern philosophy. the composition and geometrical arrangement of objects conveys a deep interest in the notion of sculpture exploring the possible fluidity of a structure, the transpar-ency of a solid surface paired with the possibility of concealing matter inside it, and the transitional quality of shifting function and becoming a stage for a choreography of future actions and movements. these are simultaneously formal and intel-lectual concerns that amalgamate in an attempt to visualize the fragile relationship between mind, body, and spirit. in conjunction with the exhibi-tion Occult Geometry, tee collabo-rated with dancer and choreographer marjolein Vogels to develop a group choreography for 20 dancers for the courtyard at Kunsthal charlottenborg. tee made a series of collages (dia-grams) combining and transforming elements from tao magic, the secret language of diagrams and calligraphy; Shuudan Koudou, the Japanese sport of precision walking; and ideas on geometrical abstraction articulated in the work of artists Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) and Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). this set of diagrams, which incorporated materials such as pigments, herbs, ceramic domes and swirls, stones, crystals, matches and gunpowder, functioned as a score to be interpreted in the choreography, aiming at visualizing the magical in abstraction.

Jennifer tee, Occult Geometry, 2014Signal-center of contemporary Art, malmö hosted at Kunsthal charlottenborg, copenhagen, DK

tao magic

Shuudan Koudou

Wassily Kandinsky, 9 points in ascent

Proces Occult Geometry

Hilma af Klint, The Seven-Pointed Star

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tHe moVement of tHe triAngle/tHe life of tHe SPirit Diagram series 1, plate 1 50 x 35 cm

“The life of the spirit maybe fairly represented in a diagram as a large acute angled triangle divided horizontally into unequal parts with the narrowed segment upper most…Slowly moving, almost invisible, forward and upward.”

from: Concerning The Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, p.6

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tHe moVement of tHe triAngle/tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe lungS Diagram series 1, plate 2 60 x 44 cm

this diagram combines floating triangles with a tao magic drawing, a talisman to vitalize the lungs.

“Sienkiewicz, in one of his novels, compares the spiritual life to swimming: ‘for the man who does not strive tirelessly, who does not fight continually against sinking, will mentally and morally go under.”

from: Concerning The Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, p.6

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tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS/ tHe femAle SeX orgAnSDiagram series 2a, plate 1 50 x 35 cm

“These life giving talismans seam to have been used in many different ways, including even burial ceremonies, but they all relate to spiritual power which was closely connected with the ancient cult of Earth Spirit.”

from: Tao Magic, The Secret Language of Diagrams & Calligraphy, laszlo legeza, p.50

tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS/ tWo femAle DAncerS WitH yin recePtAcleSDiagram series 2a, plate 2 50 x 35 cm

“The kidneys symbolize the female sex organs and the two shapes suggest a pair of female dancers with yin receptacles.”

from: Tao Magic, The Secret Language of Diagrams & Calligraphy, laszlo legeza, p.50

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After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent”Diagram series 2b, plate 1 45 x 65 cm

The Seven-Pointed Star is the title of a drawing by Swedish artist Hilma Af Klimt from the US Series (1908). this drawing might be a reference to the Seven Pointed Star, a constellation of stars used in antiquity for navigation. this constelation of stars is also know as Seven Sisters or Pleiades, the daugh-ters of Atlas and Pleione in greek my-thology. the septagon or seven-pointed star is also used in occult symbolism and in antiquity had different meanings to cultures all around the world.

After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent”Diagram series 2b, plate 245 x 65 cm

Nine points in ascent refers to a dia-gram of Wassily Kandinsky in Point in Line to Plain, his follow-up book to Concerning the Spirtual in Art. Kandinsky developed theories about the dematerialisation of an object and used his own unique terminology about the point in nature, music and dance, and the combination of point and line resulting in a unique visual language in which he touches on the role of paint-ing, texture, colour and the element of time.

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tAo mAgic/ tHe PAttern of cHAnge Diagram series 3a, plate 160 x 80 cm

Diagram with red pigment, excecuted in sharp lines. this drawing is remi-niscent of ancient cave drawings, or a sand drawing made with a stick.

tao magic diagrams are regarded as most potent talismans, believed to be charged with universal command over spiritual forces. these diagrams of sha-manistic origin are meant to meditate on, and to evoke the harmonizing influ-ence of yin-yang and eternal change. in a world aflame, retracing these ancient chinese drawings with vibrant pigments shows a gesture of a will to revive these potent talismans, to recall

and express a longing for a Pattern of change and to meditate on harmoniz-ing the world or the possibility of a dif-ferent unfolding of universal events.

tAo mAgic/ PI-LO: tHe SPAce Song of tHe Blue SKy Diagram series 3a, plate 260 x 80 cm

Diagram with indigo blue pigment, rolling clouds (heaven).

these diagrams are based on tao magic talismans and are to be interpreted in movement by a group or even a mass of people, preferably simultaneously around the world on public squares, courtyards and parks, ultimately be-coming a thought provoking phenom-enon evoking a Pattern of change.

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tAo mAgic/CHIEN(in tune with time and creativity)Diagram series 3b, plate 175 x 57 cm

the manifestation of tao,or the origins of the cosmos as described in the Tao Te Ching, a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious taoism ascribed to lao tzu (6th century Bc):

The unnamable is the eternal realDarkness within darkness,the gateway to understanding.

the whole verse translated by gia-fu feng & Jane english (1972):

The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnameable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things.Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.

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tAo mAgic/inner PArAllel Diagram series 3b, plate 2100 x 70 cm

the whole verse of lao tzu in the Tao Te Ching, as interpreted by Stephen mitchell (1992):

Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true?I look inside myself and see.

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SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAneDiagram series 4, plate 1 50 x 84 cm

these plates were inspired by the Japanese sport of precision walking called Shuudan Koudou, meaning collective action.in this series hand-crafted, glazed ceramic domes and swirls are activated in the diagrams.

SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne Diagram series 4, plate 2 50 x 84 cm

these spheres and swirls refer to the origins of abstract art as manifested in Af Klint’s The Atom Series and Series II and Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art and Point and Line to Plane, and their endeavor to unite abstraction with mystical concepts, thereby creating meaningful im-ages combined with esoteric thought.

SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne Diagram series 4, plate 3 50 x 84 cm

the research into the origin of abstract art was extend-ed into the secret language of diagrams in the tao, an aspect of chinese art dating from the tao-tsang in the early ming dynasty (1368–1644).

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p. 3, 5 tHe moVement of tHe triAngle Diagram Series 1these diagrams function as mental visualizations. Keywords for performance interpretation:• Formation of a (spiritual)

triangle • Slowly moving, almost invisible,

forward and upward.

p. 7tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS Diagram Series 2aKeywords for performance interpretation:• Female • Duality• Vital • Mirroring• Energy • Splitting

p. 9 After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent” Diagram Series 2bthese diagrams are a floorplan to interpret for the performance, in which the yellow and blue areas rep-resent the location of the two female dancers. in these diagrams, precision walking and a group action is suggested.Keywords for performance interpretation:• Walking diagonal lines• Walking wave lines• Inner square/courtyard• Yellow and blue areas for solo

performance• Flames/firemovement quality solos: • Spiral inward & spiral outward

p. 11 tAo mAgicDiagram Series 3athese diagrams are to be interpreted in movement by a group or even a mass of people, preferably simulta-neously around the world on public squares, courtyards and parks, at some point becoming a thought pro-voking phenomenon.movement quality plate 1:• Sharp and swirling turning lines• Think of charged electric mattermovement quality plate 2:• Tai-chi, slow fluent movement

p. 13, 15 tAo mAgicDiagram Series 3bmovement quality plate 1:• Walking in a large circle, or two half

circles, group action• Use of fire/flame and

wooden bow, line to planeKeywords for performance interpretation plate 2: • Cosmos | Micros• Internal space | Outer space• Sensual space• A split (persona) or the

fractured whole• Mirroring

p. 17 SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) Diagram Series 4three sequential diagrams, keywords for performance interpretation:• Activating abstraction in geometry

through motion, by walking with a group of dancers geometrical shapes and patterns, like circles and squares, triangels and lines.

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PerformAnce occult geometry choreography: Jennifer tee & marjolein Vogels thanks to all the dancers for making this performance possible.

Duration: 17 minutes concept: Jennifer tee

Kunsthal charlottenborgoctober 26th, 2014

tHe moVement of tHe triAngle /tHe life of tHe SPirit

SHuuDAn KouDou (collectiVe Action)etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne

tAo mAgic/CHIENin tune WitH time AnD creAtiVity

tAo mAgic/tHe PAttern of cHAnge