A short sample of four artworks (three video works and one installation) created and completed in 2020. Please watch first 5 minutes.
- Excerpt: we wear many masks – video art
- Excerpt: limbs seeds circle dance – video art
- Susanna Meiers, Curator of El Camino College Art Gallery talking about Jason’s installation Tree Mandala and his video art piece Tree Meditation for What Is It About Trees? (February 18 – March 12, 2020)
- Excerpt: El Camino Tree Meditation – video art
we wear many masks: In the initial outbreak of the pandemic in the US, like many others, I had to change plans completely. I didn’t imagine I would be spending so much time sewing cloth masks for people who needed them against an invisible threat. The video features a sampling of masks, all made from left over fabrics from costume remnants left over from previous performance art pieces I made costumes for. There were and still are so many unknowns in the pandemic – as if we all find ourselves sitting in the middle of a railroad track, not knowing when to brace for impact.
limbs seeds circle dance: A video performance art piece about human connection with nature. Modern life has created a huge divide between humanity and trees. Now social media and particularly social-distancing make physical relationships with other humans more challenging. Many civilizations past and present believe that trees possessed a spirit within. In this scenario, a man casts a spell with a circle of trees in order to conjure up some “friends” to dance with him in a strange daydream fantasy.
E Camino Tree Mandala & Meditation: The installation and video was created from a conceptual process of spending time meditating among and documenting the trees on El Camino College campus from Nov 2019-Jan 2020. After several sessions of quietly listening and observing the trees and the surrounding environment, the vision of creating the final form of the video and installation became clear.
There were numerous elements of particular note in the process of spending intimate time with the trees. Of course, the visual pleasure of enjoying the colors of the leaves and finding beautiful patterns in the bark are most evident. From there, a profound sense of how a tree provides home, shelter, security, and sustenance for various animals unfolds. The more one spends time with a tree, one further appreciates how truly alive and life-giving a tree is. The video and installation honors our ancient bond and dependency on trees for life.
