Mind Craft

‘Ritual Calendar’, by Ini Archibong and Testi.

- Ali Morris

At first glance, the function of Ini Archibong’s piece for Holy Handmade! is cryptic. It’s a statuesque block of black granite with 31 droplets of white marble inserted in two perfectly symmetrical lines. Its intriguing presence is entirely intentional: ‘It’s meant to be viewed as a sculpture to anyone but the owner,’ explains the Basel-based American designer. ‘The owner has the secret knowledge of its function.’

The ‘Ritual Calendar’ is actually a tool for practising mindfulness. Each day of the month, a new droplet-shaped totem is taken out of the calendar and carried in a pocket for the day, before being put back in place at night. ‘So many things are competing for our attention throughout the day,’ says Archibong. ‘When you’re carrying the totem around with you, and you mindlessly put your hands in your pocket, you’re reminded to bring mindfulness to something that you’ve embedded in the object. Whatever power you’ve embedded this piece with, the totems give you the opportunity to tap into it.’