An exploration of Life Art
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In Fragments is an exploration of Life Art
Created by Jonathan Jennings Harris
    Ritual 6
    A ritual to connect with a group of mentors and friends
    • Essay
    • Reflection
    • Pictogram
    • Tools
    • People
    • Places
    • Music
    • Stills
    • Credits
    View film (3:15)
    “Everybody must get linestoned.”
    — Bob Dylan

    For Carl Jung, “Individuation” was the process of self-realization — the discovery of meaning and purpose in life, and the way one finds out who one really is. It is a process of differentiation and integration, becoming fully the “fragment” as part of the whole — and it is a journey available to each of us.

    In Process of Elimination, every grain of powder was inspected as a way of understanding the pieces that make up a “linestone”. In this ritual, I seek to examine the pieces that make up my understanding of myself.

    • Family tools

    I funnel the pile of pulverized powder into my father’s white silk handkerchief, and I fasten the bundle with a piece of red thread, snipping the string with my mother’s silver scissors, which she used for making newspaper clippings.

    With a special selection of linestones previously gathered in Linestone, I fill up a small wooden box that belonged to my grandmother, Kate de Forest Jennings, which she used for keeping photographic “negatives.”

    • Filling a “negative space”

    With these simple gifts in hand, I set out across America to visit with a handful of mentors, teachers, and friends who have helped to shape me over the years.

    • Brian Kernighan in Princeton, New Jersey — my computer science teacher and thesis advisor at Princeton
    • George Harris (my dad) in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania — who moved there in 1996 when he and my mother divorced
    • Godfrey Reggio in Santa Fe, New Mexico — the first director of Fabrica, where I spent a year in 2004
    • Henry Rich in Truro, Massachusetts — with whom I founded a mint company in 2002, before finding my way as an artist
    • Joanne DeLuca in Pleasantville, New York — who I initially met in 2006, while designing a website for her company
    • Max Schorr in Los Angeles, California — who introduced me to Zen through a retreat we attended in 2011
    • Mike Swetye in Santa Cruz, California — with whom I’ve shared many nature-based journeys and adventures
    • Sep Kamvar in Concord, Massachusetts — a former collaborator on projects such as We Feel Fine
    • Steve Murray in Lawrenceville, New Jersey — my teacher, advisor, dorm parent, and coach at Deerfield

    During each visit, we share a long one-on-one conversation, after which I offer each person a linestone as a simple gift of thanks.

    Choosing a stone

    Once a stone has been selected, I draw a line of gray powder from cheek to cheek across each person’s face — as a way of inviting their presence into this process.

    • Joining the process

    At the end of the film, I return to the old stables at High Acres Farm, re-entering the space where the process began.

    With paint on my finger, I draw a white line across a clear sheet of glass in front of the camera — inviting the viewer into this process as well.

    • Linestoned
    Performed in 2016
    View film (3:15)
    Download text (PDF)
    • Individuation
      On gifts and identity
      Published Feb 28, 2022

    The line of a linestone breaks its perimeter, going beyond the bounds of its circular shape to connect with something more.

    • Camera Kit 1
      In 21 rituals
    • Glass Sheets
      In 22 rituals
    • Glass Stand
      In 22 rituals
    • Linestones
      In 8 rituals
    • Plastic Funnel
      In 3 rituals
    • Red Thread
      In 3 rituals
    • Silk Handkerchief
      In 1 ritual
    • Silver Scissors
      In 2 rituals
    • White Clothes
      In 14 rituals
    • White Paint Pen
      In 22 rituals
    • Wood Box
      In 1 ritual
    • Jonathan Jennings Harris
      In 23 rituals
    • High Acres Farm
      In 24 rituals
    • The Stables
      In 7 rituals
    • Individuation
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      Download all stills from “Individuation” (7 MB)

    • Created by
      Jonathan Jennings Harris
    • Edited with
      Scott Thrift
    • Original music by
      Julio Monterrey
    • Filmed at
      High Acres Farm
      • Featuring
        • Brian Kernighan
        • George Harris
        • Godfrey Reggio
        • Henry Rich
        • Joanne DeLuca
        • Max Schorr
        • Mike Swetye
        • Sep Kamvar
        • Steve Murray
    Next
    • Essay 7
      Equidistant
      A ritual to collapse related phenomena into a single plane of perception
    In Fragments is an exploration of Life Art.
    • FAQ
    • Genealogy
    • Images
    • Music
    • Credits
    • Contact
    In Fragments is an exploration of Life Art
    Created by Jonathan Jennings Harris