ArtSpace #27: Kasia Nikhamina
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
Today for ArtSpace we have one of our most prolific participants, a talented writer who has looked for a position as a porchsitter, explored poetry with roots in sixth century Arabic verse, and seen a subway ride through the eyes of a first-timer. Thanks for bringing us another, Kasia!
Task for the week: Draw inspiration from a neighborhood material.
Artist: Kasia Nikhamina
Vignette for a Sunday
Inside St. Rose of Lima, bread and wine turn into body and blood. Meanwhile, down the block, in the garden on the corner, an avocado pit, once firm and impervious, falls apart at the slightest touch. It has mellowed in the heat of the bin; it comes out richer.
The collection in the garden gives lie to the notion that these are austere times. Believers come bearing the remnants of their meals – carrot peels, egg shells, apple cores, potato skins, coffee grounds, and much much more. Combined with leaves and sawdust, this will become the blackest of golds.
We shovel in concert, turning the bins in which the scraps are gossiping. The air smells jubilant. “Rejoice! Rejoice!” toll the bells at St. Rose of Lima. “Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
How does living in Ditmas Park feed/inspire/affect your work?
If I had to move to another neighborhood tomorrow, the saddest thing for me would be the loss of the Compost for Brooklyn garden.
Tell us about the material you chose–where you saw it, what drew you to it, etc.
I was inspired to write this piece by sifting finished compost during open hours at the garden one Sunday. I recognized the melody of the St. Rose of Lima bells as a hymn I sang as a child during Catholic Mass, and got thinking about Sunday rituals.
In the photo, the compost is heaped on a cutting board to underscore how things come full circle.
About Kasia
I write The Mayor’s Hotel, a creative prose blog, and plays. I am obsessed with birds and childrens’ books, among other things.
If you’d like to contact Kasia about her work, she can be reached at:
themayorshotel@gmail.com
www.themayorshotel.com
Bio photo by Ilya Nikhamin.
Compost photo conceived by Kasia Nikhamina; shot by Ilya Nikhamin.
More info on ArtSpace:
ArtSpace #28: William Bredbeck tomorrow.
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