DIANA BAHR

“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.” – Dacher Keltner

The Small Self explores the state of awe and environments or situations that make us feel insignificant in the presence of something powerful: the expanse of the ocean, the vastness of space, intricate patterns in nature, and natural phenomena or disasters. When we’re in awe, we may feel a mixture of wonder and admiration, or confusion and fear. Awe has the ability to minimize our self-importance (a psychological experience called The Small Self) and connect us to our humanity, and to others.

I use encaustic to explore ideas in psychology (previously memory and now awe). Encaustic is a 2000-year old painting technique using melted beeswax mixed with pigment. The coloured wax is heated, applied with a brush or other tool to a surface, and ‘burned in’ (lightly fused) with a torch, heat gun or iron.

Encaustic is a perfect medium to explore ideas in psychology: layers of wax can obscure or illuminate; it preserves but can also be excavated. It can capture something as rare and fleeting as moments of awe. 

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