Although Changed, I Arise the Same (The Spirituality of Spirals) by Calum Builder

Although Changed, I Arise the Same (The Spirituality of Spirals) is a personal artistic exploration into the artist’s shifting context & practice derived from the utilisation of spiral formations in the creative process. Originally conceived as an intervallic system based on spiral formations, this project evolved to encompass an investigation into the metaphorical and conceptual implications of spirals. This is a different form of a system — one not built on intervals but on swirling water & howling winds. It is a story about shifting from the concrete & practical to the abstract & conceptual. It explores how, where & why I utilise spiral formations. Yet, more pertinently, it discusses how working with spirals redefined my own artistic context. A spiral became a symbol that transcended inspiration. It became a form of spirituality.

About Me

“Life is cyclic. However, do you ever really end up where you began? I would say that life is a cycle with ebbs and flows. Often you end up at a similar place from the beginning, but it’s not quite the same. As it is with déjà vu one finds oneself at a point that looks familiar, but it is new territory and new ground. You have to rely upon a similar action to get through such instances whilst maintaining a renewed understanding of such. Things are always similar, things are most definitely not the same. With all things considered, I reason that perhaps a ‘spiral’ would be a more adept metaphor for life. ”

Reflection Journal 21.02.2021

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‘Eadem mutata resurgo'

‘Although changed, I arise the same’

The above phrase is inscribed on the gravestone of Jakob Bernoulli, a Swiss mathematician who devoted his life to the study of the logarithmic spiral. Bernoulli’s fascination with the spiral bordered on the spiritual:

“The logarithmic spiral may be used as a symbol either of fortitude and consistency in adversity, or of the human body, which after all these changes, even after death, will be restored to its exact and perfect self.”

Like Jakob Bernoulli, I too feel the spiral speaking to me.

A still small voice.

Time Spiral