Page 13: If we could just cleanse our minds and open our hearts to each other,

Artist: Yet to be discovered.​

​

Page description and purpose:  This page visualises the inner shifts required to end the cycle of 'othering.' It is grounded in the science of neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to rewire itself — as well as our gut-brain axis and the physiology of connection, illustrating the expansiveness of our mind and the interchange it has with our hearts. The art will depict how we can cleanse harmful ideas and ideals. Othering alters the chemistry of the brain, triggering threat and fear, which then reinforces those very same ideas. The visuals for this page will show that we can always refresh our bodies and souls and embrace new ways of being; our innate capacity for compassion can always be renewed. Our physiology can be riddled with past harmful ideals — coded into our DNA, wired into our minds and reinforced with the fake foods we ingest in our guts, altering our interoceptive signals and shaping our emotional state. We are what we feed ourselves, both literally and spiritually — a cleansing of harmful habits of thinking and being can completely alter our chemistry of fear and help our hearts stay open. The images for page 13 will be both symbolic and metaphorical — using the cleansing power of the element water, perhaps a waterfall or the ocean. Surrealist ideas for the images can be discussed with the artist directly.