TRANSCENDENCE
Visiting that quiet, unchanging place of ultimate stillness.
The Idea-
Create a series of portraits for a touring photography exhibition and a high-end coffee table book showing portraits of beautiful, radiant people from all walks of life who practice Transcendental Meditation, and reveal in that visual form the power of transcending. Portraits would include celebrities such as David Lynch, Prudence Farrow, Hugh Jackman, Katy Perry etc.; Vedic pundits; prisoners; veterans; inner-city youth; abused women and other such denizens of the world who transcend on a daily basis without the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens.
The Product-
A touring exhibition, with larger-than-life portraits of said subjects, displayed in prestigious art galleries, universities, museums, and other such spaces. The exhibition would be accompanied by talks, special guests and some video footage.
A coffee table photo book approx 12.6” x 13.39” (or as decided by publisher) with one photograph per page followed by a short statement by the featured person about their experience with transcending on a daily basis. (Can compare with Nick Brandt’s The Day May Break, or Michael O’Neill’s On Yoga, or Dana Gluckstein’s Dignity.)
What I need in order to make this happen-
Help in getting agreement from celebrities and successful people within the TM community to be photographed for this photographic series.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In the summer of 2017, I exhibited my photographs on the iconic walls of what used to be the Beatles’ Artist Studio during their extended stay at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram at the foothills of the Himalayas, in a hamlet called Rishikesh. Over 500 people came to the exhibit, after a satsang in the main hall where the group chanted “Let it Be”. Tears flowed freely that morning, in nostalgia of what was probably one of the most iconic eras of human history, the general feeling being of one being instantly transported back in time to the days when the Beatles were staying here. The walls, now rustic, overladen with vines; monkeys hopping from one tree to another; cobras sliding under foliage-carpeted floor, gave the feeling of an era bygone.
Whether it was the photograph of a veiled village-woman picking up fresh cow-dung with her bare hands, or a displaced tribe of once-royal musicians playing their hand-crafted instrument and asking for alms, in every photograph, viewers saw themselves. Which was interesting because the title of my series was “Advaita” which in English, translates to non-duality or the interconnectedness of all living beings. Advaita is omnipresent and is the core of our existence. However, it cannot be perceived intellectually, rather only experienced by complete immersion. Immersed in the energy created in this forgotten place, it wasn’t hard for the audience to experience the non-duality depicted by the subjects in my photographs. Furthermore, the moment, the location, the heightened emotion, were all prime for the audiences to understand this esoteric concept.
TRANSCENDENCE
I view transcendence as a journey into the unknown, more specifically and in this case, a journey into the unchanging. When we transcend the daily experiences to go into that which is seemingly outside our reach, but isn’t truly so owing to the infinite human potential, we cross boundaries. But when we transcend the outward experiences to go within, we connect with Self. With the series, Transcendence, I hope to create a similar immersive experience as with the aforementioned series, to guide audiences back to themselves, to their roots, so that they may, once again…
This series will consist of photographs of people of all spectrums who practice transcendental meditation, and will document and share anecdotes on how it changed their lives for the better. Subjects would include, but not be restricted to, celebrities such as David Lynch, Prudence Farrow, (insert names); Vedic pundits; prisoners; veterans; inner-city youth; abused women and other such denizens of the world who transcend on a daily basis without the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens. The premise of the series is to emphasize on the experience of transcendence, differentiating between the drugs which stimulate the perception and don’t allow for experience of nothingness, a critical need in today’s world as explained further under “Vision”.
IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROJECT
Contemporary society seems to be taking us far away from ourselves. With every new development in technology or with every new movement propping up, we’re faced with infinite choices. The plethora of information available readily on the internet makes it difficult to distinguish between reliable sources and those that aren’t. Every new finding is followed immediately by one that refutes it. The internet is filled with advertisements on every nook and corner, pointing out either what is wrong with us or what is missing in our lives and telling us what we need to purchase in order to be better human beings or be more successful. We’re running after something but we don’t know what it is, if we truly desire it or if we’ve been manipulated into believing that we do.
In such a time, the need to stop and go within to that place of ultimate stillness has become monumental. To take a break from over-information, over-consumption, and over-stimulation, it has become elemental that we transcend on an everyday basis to an unchanging place bereft of noise. That place is within us. Athletes, writers, musicians, dancers and other earnest artists often find themselves in this place, which they call the zone, in which all external noise seems to stop.
With the way that society is conditioned, we have no choice but to look without. To engage our five senses in this overstimulating world. This photographic series aims to inspire people to look within.
"If we are all strong, stable, we can set our sail with any wind in the world that comes along. We make up our own direction. If we are not strong, we are like a leaf in the wind and the world’s winds will take us where they wish, not where WE wish. So we meditate, every day, regularly, and gain transcendental being in our everyday life and then we are strong. When we are all infused with Being, we need not think which course is right, we just take the one that is automatically. Being is the wind-resister and the sail-setter." — Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
AUDIENCE
Due to high production value, and the need of the hour for people to go into silent spaces, this photographic series will appeal to a mainstream audience. Within this wide audience, we also recognize the following specific target groups: mental-health professionals; those with high-pressure jobs— surgeons, scientists, lawyers and other such professionals working on a daily basis in stressful environments; as well as the usual photography aficionados.
Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re beautiful. Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness—your awareness—is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger fish you can catch.
—David Lynch, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity
OUTREACH AND IMPACT
Given the human interest story at the heart of this photographic series which also engages issues of mental health, we plan to have a robust outreach campaign to use the photographic series as a tool for impactful education and organizing. We first plan to roll out an exhibition tour worldwide. Accompanying the photographic series will be a high-end coffee table book for those who wish to have a copy of the exhibition’s photographs and textual documentation at home. Additionally there will be panel discussions with scientists, mental health advocates and leaders who will engage the audience in the critical issues of the current human condition. A key part of these discussions will be how audiences who think they are (insert correct word) can understand how their own lives are deeply connected to the mental health crisis; and, what solutions are available for everyday individuals to implement. We also plan to do a schools and universities tour with the photographs series.
““Mental health is increasingly at the forefront of the national debate. The elephant in the room is that no one knows what to truly do about it. Do we medicate every child who may be a bully or is bullied. Do we continue to hand out cocktails of drugs to veterans with post-traumatic stress? While the medications are helpful for some, too many vets are non compliant. Many don’t like the numbness and disorientation they often feel medicated up and so they refuse to take the drugs. Maybe they just want something better.”
— BOB ROTH, STRENGTH IN STILLNESS
ABOUT THE ARTIST.
Sej Saraiya (b. 1985) is an ethnographic and fine art photographer who has spent the last several years documenting indigenous cultures around the world. She graduated with an MFA from the University of Southern California in 2009, and has since traveled to the deep interiors of Asia and the Americas, capturing portraits that serve as windows into the lives of remote cultures.
Her photographic work has taken her to some of the most remote corners of this planet, putting her in contact with profound treasures—from the tattooed headhunters of hidden India to the medicine women of British Columbia; from the shamans of the Venezuelan Amazonas to such globally revered leaders and humanitarians as Their Holinesses the Dalai Lama and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; from the stunning landscapes of the United States to Vedic scientists and global healers; all with the broader vision of preserving our world’s cultures and lands.
She speaks in a variety of forums, holds workshops, and moderates or contributes to panels at universities, museums and festivals. Her photographs have been exhibited both in America and India and hang in the homes of private collectors worldwide. She is a member of the American Photographic Artists (APA) and currently resides in Topanga.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS & INSTALLATIONS
Nov 2021 Newport Beach Central Library (Curated Exhibit) Santa Ana, USA
Sept 2021 Bower’s Museum (Curated Exhibit) Santa Ana, USA
July 2021 Foley Gallery New York, USA
Jan 2021 John Wayne Airport Vi Smith Concourse Gallery (Curated Exhibit) Orange County, USA
Nov 2020 Blank Wall Gallery (Curated Exhibit) Athens, Greece
Oct 2020 Newport Beach Central Library (Curated Exhibit) Santa Ana, USA
Sep 2020 Bower's Museum (Curated Exhibit) Santa Ana, USA
Jul 2020 American Society of Media Photographers, USA
Oct 2019 University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
Oct 2019 California State University Fullerton USA
Mar 2019 Rishikesh International Film Festival Tapovan India
Nov 2018 Lois Lambert Gallery Los Angeles USA
May 2018 Electric Lodge Art Gallery Los Angeles USA
Sep 2017 Legato Art Gallery Los Angeles USA
July 2017 Santa Monica Assembly Hall Los Angeles USA
Mar 2017 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi aka "Beatles" Ashram Rishikesh India
SELECTED TALKS
May 2021 Discussion with Marc Baraka Strauch: “The Meditative Eye: An Exploration in Seeing from Within” Rishikesh Film Festival
May 2021 Lecture: “Remote Cultures, Ancient Wisdom & Non Duality” Yangchenma Arts & Music, Topanga
Nov 2019 Lecture: “Individualism, Collectivism & Non Duality” Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena USA
Oct 2019 Lecture: “Remote Cultures, Ancient Wisdom & Advaita” University of Southern California, Los Angeles USA
Oct 2019 Panel Discussion: “Infinite in its Silence" California State University, Fullerton USA
Aug 2018 Empowered Filmmaker Masterclass (with TELUS Storyhive and VoVo Productions) New Hazelton, Canada
Aug 2018 Empowered Filmmaker Masterclass (with TELUS Storyhive and VoVo Productions) Kamloops, Canada
Mar 2018 Lecture: “Storytelling, Filmmaking & Consciousness” (with Marc Baraka Strauch) Beatles Ashram, India
