- Linda Hollier
In 2015 I visited Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous and significant squares in Rome. At the heart of the city, this square has a long history and is an important point of reference for residents and tourists alike.
Its ancient roots date back to Roman times when it was an obligatory passage point for those entering the city from the northern side. The square as we see it today is the result of an urban intervention in 1550 which has been modified over the centuries.
Piazza del Popolo has always been a meeting place and a point of socialization. It is surrounded by cafes, shops and restaurants and is an important hub for those who move around the centre of Rome.
Located in the square is the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto, a Baroque church which is one of two churches that stand on opposite sides of the square. It is called “Church of the Artists”. Its proximity to this important square which is a centre for art and culture, led to it being frequented by personalities from the art world over the centuries. It continues to be a meeting place for artists today
Looking back at my photos from 2015, I discovered a video I took of people walking across the square with the Church of the Artists in the background. Little did i know then, that ten years later the figures in my iPhone artworks would “walk” across this square inviting visitors to the square to join them!
I am thrilled to announce my participation in the upcoming “Sacred Art 3.0” exhibition, set to take place at Rome’s historic Piazza del Popolo from19 February 2025 to 23 February 2025 between 7 PM and 11 PM. Celebrating the “Jubilee 2025”, this innovative event will inaugurate the “Jubilee of Artists” and transform the square into an open-air gallery, projecting digital artworks directly onto its pavements, thereby allowing visitors to engage with the pieces in a dynamic and immersive manner.
“Sacred Art 3.0”, under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy of Theology and the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesano, has invited international artists to reinterpret traditional sacred themes through contemporary digital media. The selected artworks will be displayed in a continuous loop, accompanied by ambient music, creating a reflective and interactive atmosphere. The works will be projected from the Basilica onto the square. Attendees are encouraged to walk over the projections, becoming integral components of the art experience. The location for this event, and all the surrounding elements, make this space so special for such a project.
This project has been conceived by Paolo Ferigo and Stefano Favaretto who also acts as curator. I have had the honour and pleasure to meet and collaborate with Stefano on various projects in the Spatial metaverse.
As an iPhone artist, my creative process involves capturing fleeting moments through focused observation and deep listening to my surroundings. This practice allows me to perceive and convey the subtle energies and vibrations present in everyday life. Participating in this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to present my work in a format that encourages public interaction, aligning with my belief in art as a shared, communal experience. For this prestigious exhibition, my artworks have been animated to take my concept of stillness in movement into yet another dimension.
I am honored and humbled to contribute to this event, which seeks to make sacred art accessible and engaging to a broad audience. If you’re in Rome during these dates, I invite you to visit Piazza del Popolo to experience this fusion of tradition and technology firsthand. I will also share updates on my social media to share this immersive artistic journey with you.
- Linda Hollier
Inspired by the 1937 film “Lost Horizon”, the epic adventure “Journey to Shangri-La” can be found in the Spatial metaverse - an immersive, online space that can be experienced via laptop, tablet, mobile or VR headset, and in which users represented by avatars interact.
After watching a short film in a movie theatre, visitors to "Journey to Shangri-La" jump into snowy mountains only to discover that their plane has crashed. One now has to find one’s way to safety and serenity in the magical valley of Shangri-La, high in the Himalayas. Here people live in perfect harmony with nature and no one grows old. Via the lamasery of Shangri-La, one discovers how to find exclusive avatars, is directed to a magic boat ride and is also invited to explore the massive mountain terrain with breathtaking views.
I am very excited to have been invited by Dave Fox, the builder of “Journey to Shangri-La”, to have a solo exhibition in a gallery in this space.
My exhibition ”Whispers of White” is an immersive exploration into the tranquil and ethereal world crafted through the lens of iPhone artistry. As a result of multi-sensory perception, this collection captures the unseen energies and unspoken moments in serene white hues.
”Whispers of White” invites the viewer to delve into a symphony of subtle shades, where every piece echoes calmness and purity. On this unique journey, each artwork whispers its own tale in white, and invites one to experience art beyond sight.
It is my wish that like a prism separates white light into different colors, the spirit of each viewer may reveal hidden depths within these artworks.
You are invited to visit Journey to Shangri-La and encounter my exhibition.
Whispers of White: 1 December 2024 - 31 December 2024
Updated: Nov 18, 2024
Today in the Spatial metaverse MetaCoach gave a talk on surviving the holidays.
Lisbet Spatial, who is part of the Bridging Worlds group I am part of that host these events, not only MC'd the event, but also decided to transcribe and summarize the talk as Coach was speaking.
There is a chat function in Spatial, and by adding this transcription/summary to the chat, Lisbet enabled visitors from all different parts of the world to use the translate function to read what Coach was saying in their own language.
I was blown away not only by her ability, but also by the fact that once again I am aware how people from different cultures can meet, share experiences and share personal stories in the metaverse.
This inspired me to copy paste from the chat (because it will disappear in 24 hours) and share the transcription/summary here. It is such a valuable topic for all of us.
Here it is:
The trauma and stressors for the holidays can be the same no matter where we are in the world
The goal is to get through the holiday seasons and learn how to have great celebrations, minimize or eliminate the trauma and drama
You can't plan for everything, but you can prepare for some things, and this is what coach calls the survivor's guide
The first step of getting through the holidays: The first step of survival is don't manufacture it. Don't give in to that dreaded "Oh no" mindset
It's a slippery slope to have the "oh no, time to get ready for holidays” mindset
Who is coming? How much will it cost? How long will it last?
People dynamics play a big role
As a child, one doesn't know how much work the parents go through to make it happen
Everyone has a person in their family, that when they come to an event, they bring drama
Coach is talking about that one person who causes trauma or drama at a holiday celebration
He had a drunk uncle who would stumble around at the events
The children found it funny, the adults did not
But it all starts off with that first moment "Oh no, gotta get ready for the holidays”
The first thing in the survivors guide is - do not expect the negative and speak negativity into existence
This is where critical thinking can be useful
We can look at previous holiday events and identify what things happened that set the drama in motion. We can think about those things and put things in place and prepare our minds for what can happen (and probably will).
Coach's father had a conversation with the "drunk uncle" before the event one year. He asked him in advance to not come and "act a fool”
Coach was young and didn't know what was said on the other side of the phone, but he remembers a good, better, event that year.
Critical thiniking - identify what can cause the problems
Conversational intelligence to mitigate those problems and also speak to oneself about how to handle the situations
Emotional intelligence plays a role, too
Holiday seasons, people coming together can be traumatic. Maybe there is an empty seat because someone is no longer there.
Some families still set a place at the table if someone has passed away, to honour their memory
That kind of takes the challenge or sting away, because instead of mourning, people celebrated the life of the deceased family member
It changes things around, into a more positive approach.
In the USA, there is an extremely high level of substance abuse in the holidays
This is due to various reasons
They feel more celebratory, more free, do things they might not usually do
Sometimes substance abuse during the holidays ends in disaster. At a company that coach worked, they would fill in a blank "termination of contract form" in advance, because they knew someone would mess up at the holiday function.
If you are alone, the sadness during holiday season can be overwhelming
Coach advises that one finds community
One doesn’t have to do it alone
It seems to be magnified (the loneliness) during the holidays
Coach's family used to invite people over who did not have families
When Coach's mother passed away, so many people that came to their home during the holidays attended her funeral and loved her
One part of the survivor's guide is to reach out to people who don't have family
Coach is speaking about his childhood
His mother used to make sure everything was perfect
Until she decided not to stress herself out, but rather focus on enjoying the festivities
Tip- You don't have to strive for perfection
Don't stress yourself out
Coach is talking about families with members who have special needs
It is important to remember these families, because often they don’t attend, the person with special needs is not accommodated
Tip- If you are hosting an event, keep this in mind and try to accommodate them if you can
Coach speaks about his neighbour's autistic child
His mother invited them over and spent time with the child so that the mom could relax
Somebody cared enough to give the mother a moment of freedom. Coach remembers these things that his mother did growing up
These things help him be sensitive to people around him
If you are preparing an event, consider the people who would not come because of special needs. You can reach out and say "what can i do so that you can be here?”
Small gestures like that are huge and can change the dynamics of someone's holidays and life
That falls under critical thinking
It’s part of emotional intelligence
When we employ these things, use these approaches, imagine how much better holiday celebrations could be
We can apply this to every day life, not just in the holidays
One of coach's mottos is "a winning mindset”
He believes that there are things that we can do every day to make life easier to decrease the trauma and the drama
We can be thankful for things that we go through
Each one of us has the power and the ability to be a game changer in somebody's life.
How do I make this holiday season better? For myself, but also for those around me.
When we take that winning mindset, we start to punch trauma and drama in the gut.
We prepare to move forward in a positive way
This counteracts the trauma and drama
On to the next point in the survivor's guide:
Many people overdo it financially during the holiday season
Coach tells a story of a man who bought a big gift for his partner to make up for all his mistakes during the year
He got himself into debt
He gave her the gift
But she gave him divorce papers
And gave him the gift back
The man had thought that an expensive gift (that he could not afford) would solve his problems
Sometimes parents buy expensive gifts for their kids because when they grew up, they did not have it
We must think: What makes sense?
What really matters?
What will not hurt me in the long run?
If we think about those things, it changes our mindset
Changes how much we spend money during the holidays, and what we spend it on
The goal is to get through the holidays and through the trauma and drama, but also to get through it without debt!!!
Coach suggests that people prepare their heart and mind so that when the time comes to celebrate, we have things in place to minimize the problems during the holidays
The focus can be on coming together as family and friends, instead of buying things for each other
Coach talks about an advert in the USA about the Lexus car
They give each other keys to a Lexus car and the advert says "It's the gift to remember”
This commercial can make people feel like a loser if they cannot do that
It's a crazy example from TV. but many people feel this way, even about smaller things
Many people collect for the needy during the holidays, coach suggests doing it all year long
"If I am doing good all year long it becomes easier to do good during the hoildays”
We can start the survivor's guide at the beginning of the year already with a winning mindset, and touch the people around us
The people are the ones that matter
The gifts are temporary, the relationships matter
A closing remark by coach:
He wants to challenge everyone here today
Think about the one person in your life that you may need to repair a relationship with.
What conversation do I need to have with that person?
What emotional intelligence do i need to use? What conversational intelligence do I need to use?
How do I make it right? How do I squash the trauma, drama, how do I have a winning mindset.
(After sharing this blog post, it has now been translated into Japanese by Maro Dori, another member of the Bridging Worlds team. It can be read in Japanese here)