I hope that you’ll think about these as layers, happening on top of one another. My practice is deeply rooted in asking new questions, sitting in wonder, and finding places of balance where things can shift and slow.

During “Constellation” my question was, what happens when in the same place: Rocks become dust; Children’s rights are spoken; Stars are uncovered, and maybe wished upon? The following three tasks are done constantly for eight hours:

1. Hammer rocks until they become powder, collect powder in pinch-pots

2. Hammer rocks on black board to form a constellation drawing

3. Read aloud the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

I was able to read through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child five times over the course of eight hours and fill four boards with hammered-stone-dust, creating stars. There were booklets available for taking, and at two points during the reading I was joined by others. The booklet was produced by the Human Rights Resource Center, 2006, which states:

“The Convention set out [the rights of the child] in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children’s rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified September 2, 1990, by 196 countries, and every country in the United Nations except the United State of America.