On this transmission, I have a discussion with Charlyne of The Occult Therapy, centered around why and what she does with the medium of body suspension. This is the first episode where my guest is not into NFTs, and doesn’t do the crypto thing. It’s incredibly refreshing, not just because we laughed so much throughout the episode.
In my opinion, the level of honesty Charlyne puts forth is so impactful, it leaves a mark once it hits you. In sharing her journey with suspension and her unique perspective about it, one can find a very rational approach that is entirely devoid of the pretentious new-age rhetoric that most folks associate with transformative ritual work. She is practical, and she is intentional in everything she does, and I think this is what results in her work standing out from the rest.
Charlyne’s view is really valuable because she is not just talking about her experience as a facilitator, but addressing the fact that we are constructing safe experiences for others. It strikes me that she does not consider herself an artist, when some of the most beautiful suspension work I have seen has been hers. I feel that there are some very clearly separated schools of aesthetics in suspension, and I would like to think that our work inhabits a similar space there.
I think it’s pertinent to point out how international our crowd is, and how by sticking to a focus on safety for our suspendees (physically, mentally, spiritually), some of us have arrived in a very similar visual space with our work. We mention a lot of other artists we have connected with over the years, and some like Christiane, Alex, Beto & Eugenia, and Eden are worthy of note. Here are some of their works:
One of the things I appreciate deeply about Charlyne is her journey through multiple facets of the medium - she is absolutely not focused on one singular aspect of suspension. From public performance to private ritual, she has found her own flavor of suspension, making her style and energy clearly distinguishable from the work of others. This is, in my humble opinion, extremely difficult to achieve with suspension.
I love how firm yet humble Charlyne is: she takes no shit, but gives respect where it is due. I think her work with both rope and hooks speak to a higher level approach to the topic of self discovery and healing. I truly believe that facilitation by egotistical folks with poor self esteem will invariably result in a poor journey into self exploration for those undergoing the experience of suspension. This is true of any discipline, in my opinion.
We mentioned some crazy shit like suspension contraptions and bunji/base jumping with hooks, and shared some personal stories, and had a great laugh. Check out the gyroscope I mentioned here. Check out some insane Russian bunji jumping shit here.
I’m already stoked for Part II of this podcast, where we will likely delve deeper into matters of the mind, the occult, and the esoteric. No worries, we’ll definitely talk about butts again too. Charlyne isn’t active on Twitter, but you can follow her there. You will be greatly rewarded if you follow her on Instagram, as she posts some really thoughtful writing as well as visual work there.
Ending the year with this was seemed really appropriate, as I am about to begin work on some suspension related projects again in January, along with some non-suspension stuff as well. Speaking of which, I dropped my last collection of photos for 2022! Claim your editions, or bid on the 1/1 here:
cont;nue #1, 10 editions via Manifold
cont;nue #2, 5 editions via Manifold
cont;nue #3, 5 editions via Manifold
cont;nue #4, 1/1 available on Foundation
And to start the year off next week, I will be sharing my conversation with the amazing GŁOWA. Check him out on Twitter, and go binge his work!
Happy Holidays one last time. See you in 2023 folks!
Transmission 5 - Charlyne