Summer 2021

I feel like the reclusion and uncertainty of the pandemic made existing among others feel harder than it used to. It’s suddenly an enormous drain to connect and keep meaningful conversations afloat. Maybe I lost what little tolerance for it that I had and have fully embraced my inner Hermit. The rhythm certainly agrees with me.

Artist in residence

I’m currently 6 weeks into an 8 week residency in central New York at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park where I am building a floating sculpture to be displayed for the public, August 20 and 27. The 2-night event was just opened to the public today and I was told our slots are almost full so if you’re in the area and want to come .. shoot me a message.

I’ve been finding a lot of peace away from the pressures of life here. The grounds are beautiful and the landscape is so lush and green and despite what people say about New Yorkers, I’ve found them to be warm and welcoming. :) It’s rained quite a lot .. which has been amazing because it never rains in LA, but now I find myself missing the always bike-able weather of California. I composed the song below a couple weeks ago .. it has rain and thunder samples from the park.

A PODCAST

I was recently interviewed by the incredible creative forces that are Joel Krieger and Pavani Yalla for a brilliant new podcast they have put together that sheds light on people in the design community who feel a calling to use our skills in service of changing how we exist, our way of relating to the earth and our way of relating to each other. Right up my alley. It was an honor and incredibly fun. They’ve really got something great. I have enjoyed every episode and I encourage you to give it a listen.

In Joel’s words: “Outside In is a podcast about experience design for change. We’ll journey out to the margins to discover design insights in unexpected places. Our episodes will cover a kaleidoscope of experience — from wilderness treks to VR films, communal festivals to immersive theater and beyond. In each episode, we’ll deconstruct an experience with its creator — together, revealing strategies, insights and techniques for transformative experience design.”

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Ignorance Is Not Bliss

My mental practice (meditation, breathwork) is really beginning to click and it’s melting my brain with its efficacy and utter simplicity.

Let me explain. 

When we meditate, we strengthen our ability to manage our own physiological responses. What Yogis try to do manually, pharma does artificially. And not even as well. It makes me a little angry... I feel I was robbed of a very important coping tool for the majority of my life. Why are we not taught how to find this medicine within ourselves?! 

I wonder; is it because the techniques are from a culture we don’t fully understand? Is there a shortage of role models and teachers for us Westerners? A little of all of it? It’s true that Americans have only recently had access to these teachings. Yoga didn’t come to the US until 1947 so if you’re in the States; unless you are the grandchild of Indra Devi or immigrants, your Grandma probably wasn’t big into yoga like the Indian Grannies. 

Meditation and breathwork just isn’t part of our culture and unfortunately the byproduct is that we go our whole lives thinking something is wrong with us and we need drugs because we aren’t “happy”. Our privatized healthcare system certainly isn’t going to shine a light on treatments that don't make them money. Regardless as to the cause, our ignorance of these incredibly powerful tools has resulted in our being disconnected from our core selves which then causes us to look for bliss in all the wrong places. 

Understanding how important a mental practice is, I cannot understand why it isn’t a priority for every human being. I am confident in saying that learning and exercising the inner workings of the mind through meditation is more fundamental than even reading.

We’re not too lazy or ignorant to do the work… we simply aren’t taught how important and transformative it can be. If we’re lucky, we stumble across these practices and philosophies and have the curiosity to pursue answers. But because the practice is working within our minds; by a long shot a place we don’t yet fully understand, it is mysterious and therefore intimidating but this ignorance is not our fault! We shouldn’t feel inferior because we don’t understand. As my friend DT used to say, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” Our ignorance is a failure of Western society, not of us as individuals. We simply weren’t taught. Myself included. 

I’ve been alive half of the total time I will be alive and it’s only now I have truly directed my focus inward to investigate. I’m part of our broken system too. Being introduced to this as a child would have saved me decades of anguish .. and run ins with death himself. It would’ve saved my family tremendous pain. Lovers and friends too. 

It’s not an easy thing to wake up to the suffering I have caused myself and others but I am lucky because in that awareness, there is the acknowledgment that I have caused enough suffering and my path forward is more illuminated.

Hyphae, a light sculpture by Annie Mitchell in Newton Canyon. Photo by Tom Clancey.

ALASKA!!!!!!

Like many of you, my year has been thrown (to put it mildly) by fortuitous events. Cancellations, delays and aggressive pivoting have been the name of the game. Fortunately, because my work is already designed to be experienced in nature, contemplatively, in silence and isolation, I’m a perfect fit for the direction public art must take in our post-apocalyptic present. It’s finally necessary to experience art outside the walls of a museum. I’m not exactly sure what that means for fine art, but I’m not here to solve that. I’m here to make cool shit in cool places that gets people moving and feeling and connecting with each other and nature.

Cut to Alaska.

I’m flying (Oh Dear God) with my amazing tech lead and programmer, David Howe on Friday to install my largest exhibit to date. I’ll have 2 separate locations running at the Anchorage Museum and .. my fav .. a more guerilla style piece for one-night somewhere in the wild. I’ll let you know where when I know myself. ;)

I was lucky enough to get to work with the talented WG Rickel on this soundscape. Always a treat. It’s sampled in the video but you can listen to the entire 16 minute mediation in stereo below. I recommend good headphones.

Soundscape for Haustoria. A light and sound experience by Annie Mitchell. This was composed by the amazing WG Rickel with the help of recordings by the Anchorage Museum's sound ecologists.

The making of my fungal sculptures

It’s a beautiful day in Southern California. It almost lets you forget the state of the world when the sun is shining so sweetly. Almost. It’s day fifty-five in quarantine for this gal. Holding steady over here but I do miss touch. I miss hugs and kisses and holding hands. I miss not worrying about germs. I miss biking all over my neighborhood running errands and leisurely browsing the grocery store. My hair misses my colorist and my stylist. My body misses being in yoga classes with that energy surrounding me. But these are small concerns; all things considered. I am healthy and pretty happy in my beautiful space, making art and music and yoga and food.

Last night I biked down to the beach to see the bioluminescent waves. Yes, yes, I know it’s closed but I could not miss the chance to see this. I’m a light artist!! It was not crowded at all and everyone was very respectful. Beach patrol was going up and down the shoreline with a huge spotlight though, so you could really only enjoy the moment between their passing. It was so beautiful it nearly broke my heart. The ocean was electric blue….I’ll never forget it.

I documented a bit of process today and put together this video of the making of my fungal sculptures. Each unique sculpture is hand sewn from layering sheets of silicone. Often I sew them on-site as I’m building my installations.

I hope everyone out there is safe, healthy and staying as sane as you can during these crazy times. I hope to see you around in the real world again sometime soon.

Love and light,
Annie

My Dutch Grandfather and More

I’ve been teaching myself the guitar enough to play along to what I’m composing and come up with melodies. It’s much easier to find them on the guitar vs. the piano. Would love to get some proper lessons someday. Anyway, here’s some new compositions .. I hope you enjoy them.

<3,
Annie