From Wheels of life to Metamorphose

The Wheels of Life exhibition, which was exhibited at Hadeland Glassverk and in Sweden, has found a new home.
A home in the garden of our new Tuscan home, Villa Rosita. It has been displayed for a couple of years and now nature has begun to leave its mark on the wheels. They are now undergoing a metamorphosis. The sun is eating the color, birds and insects are eating the yarn and I'm changing my perception of life as we live a new life here in Italy. I've realized that my previous material choice was perfect for indoor use, but not for a life out in nature. Now I have found a synthetic yarn that is more suitable. Little by little, the wheels will be replaced and in addition, the content will change as my life journey continues.

​

Metamorphose

​​

Since the dawn of time, man has sought to understand the connection between heaven and earth, the cosmos and man. Wisdom has always been conveyed visually through symbols and shapes that have often proved to have a universal meaning and are often linked to an esoteric language. This language speaks to us in different ways, to layer upon layer of our conscious and subconscious minds. We transfer it into our own reality and let it become our understanding of the world. This understanding changes as our own experience grows, the world around us shrinks, and our relationship to that which is greater than ourselves becomes clearer.
 
There are many ways to get in touch with understanding in oneself and in one's own life. It is in itself, a personal inner pilgrimage. The path is individual, as is the goal, if there is a goal. I am on my pilgrimage, and with my experiences and insights comes the inspiration for these wheels of life.

​

The world is changing rapidly, borders are shifting and we need a universal understanding of what it means to be human. An understanding of who we are and what role we play in the great world web. That each and every one of us is different, that we all carry our own truths and that these can be used for a collaboration that can take us to new heights of consciousness and wisdom.

​

Across religions, cultures, belief systems, gender, skin color and language. This quest, for an understanding of what it means to be human on earth, has always been a part of my life and my expression and is constantly changing. I want to share my experience and insights with the world through art.

After many years as a textile and knitwear designer, it was natural for me to choose a form of expression and materials that I have immersed myself in. Leftover yarn from my life as a designer has been used as a starting point for the project. I've now switched to synthetic materials that can better withstand the southern climate with lots of sun and rain. My own understanding and life experience after many years of work as a coach and life coach and spiritual seeker has provided inspiration for the color scheme and design.

​

The point, circle, spirals and lines are ancient, universal symbols found in all cultures. All creation springs from the point. From there we can draw lines and create infinite shapes and figures, which in turn can be drawn in any direction, and then intertwined endlessly. The circle represents everything and nothing, the beginning and the end, creation, the cycle and the life cycle. In the wheels of life, the point, the line (thread) and the circle are all key expressions. Along the way, the snake and butterflies appeared. The snake, as a symbol, is found in most cultures, and I have encountered it myself, time and time again in my inner work. The butterfly symbolizes transformation, metamorphosis, from an insignificant caterpillar to a beautiful and often colorful creature.

​

   The snake represents vitality and fertility, life and death. The duality of good and evil, the one that tempts and frightens. The snake also carries wisdom. In Ouroborus, the snake that bites its own tail, we see a symbol of the whole, the circle. In addition, the snake eats itself, nourishes itself, while shedding its skin, its ego, layer by layer. This is a never-ending process of eternal renewal and rebirth.

​

In addition to the symbols, colors play an essential role. The strong colors become a visual language.  Colors that speak, that vibrate, activate and touch, regardless of age, cultural origin and point of view.
 
  In the summer of 2021, I embarked on a new pilgrimage by moving to Tuscany in Italy, an outer and inner pilgrimage that will probably continue for the rest of my life. The wheels came with me to Italy after being packed away for several years and I look at them with new eyes. I can see myself reflected in the wheels and I can see that I've moved on since they were exhibited at Hadeland Glassverk in 2017. New insights need to be implemented and the wheels are now on display in our garden here at Villa Rosita in Tuscany. New wheels are added, other wheels are dead. An eternal round trip.
               
Along with the wheels, I also exhibit other textile works that are inspired by the nature around us
and the human journey of life and transformation

​

                                                                                      Kari Hestnes