Neuroplasticity - whatever you practice goes stronger
Durational performance, where I knit the same object over and over again until one of my knitted objects is sold in an art market.
Repetitive activity has various mental health benefits: reduced anxiety, improved neuroplasticity, increased serotonin levels, etc. While enjoying these knitting benefits, I am producing art objects at the same time.
The artwork (and self-improvement) ends when the art market sees that project as valuable.
This way, I try to reflect on the commercialization of different self-soothing and personal development practices, while maintaining a critical distance and artistically using the positive aspects of these methods.
When I first heard about the potential benefits of knitting for anxiety, I started researching and also found out about knittings ability to increase neuroplasticity. I got very intrigued by the Shauna’s Shapiro thoughts on the connection between brains elasticity and self compassion and the exercise she was talking about - repeating ‘I love you, ____ (your name)’ every single day.
I post a video documentation daily on TikTok. In the videos I knit and talk about my research, thoughts and feelings. In this way I use my vulnerability and my personality as an artistic tool while working with the merge of content, performance, art and documentation.
Project is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the programme NEUSTART KULTUR Module D - Digital Mediation Formats.
WATCH TRAILER:
vimeo LINK
Reading more about the concept here:
Links:
https://agoradigital.art/digital-residency-neuroplasticity-i-love-you-gertruda-gilyte/
https://neustartstipendien.kuenstlerbund.de/kuenstler_innen/gertrda-gilyt
and here:![]()
Durational performance, where I knit the same object over and over again until one of my knitted objects is sold in an art market.
Repetitive activity has various mental health benefits: reduced anxiety, improved neuroplasticity, increased serotonin levels, etc. While enjoying these knitting benefits, I am producing art objects at the same time.
The artwork (and self-improvement) ends when the art market sees that project as valuable.
This way, I try to reflect on the commercialization of different self-soothing and personal development practices, while maintaining a critical distance and artistically using the positive aspects of these methods.
When I first heard about the potential benefits of knitting for anxiety, I started researching and also found out about knittings ability to increase neuroplasticity. I got very intrigued by the Shauna’s Shapiro thoughts on the connection between brains elasticity and self compassion and the exercise she was talking about - repeating ‘I love you, ____ (your name)’ every single day.
I post a video documentation daily on TikTok. In the videos I knit and talk about my research, thoughts and feelings. In this way I use my vulnerability and my personality as an artistic tool while working with the merge of content, performance, art and documentation.
Project is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the programme NEUSTART KULTUR Module D - Digital Mediation Formats.
WATCH TRAILER:
vimeo LINK
Reading more about the concept here:
Links:
https://agoradigital.art/digital-residency-neuroplasticity-i-love-you-gertruda-gilyte/
https://neustartstipendien.kuenstlerbund.de/kuenstler_innen/gertrda-gilyt
and here:
