Meditation

The practice of meditation is at the basis of a contemplative art approach.

This term means different things to different people, and also the techniques and motives as of why to meditate vary.
In the context of contemplative art I see it as a way to recognize awareness.
In fact, to my understanding, recognizing awareness might be described as the essence of meditation.

True awareness is a state of pure witnessing, without the least attempt to do anything about the event witnessed. Your thoughts and feelings, words and actions may also be part of the event; you watch all unconcerned in the full light of clarity and understanding. You understand precisely what is going on, because it does not affect you. It may seem to be an attitude of cool aloofness, but it is not really so. Once you are in it, you will find that you love what you see, whatever may be its nature.
This choiceless love is the touchstone of awareness. If it is not there, you are merely interested – for some personal reasons.
-Nisagardatta Maharaj

In the context of hunters and gatherers, Jack Turner (The Abstract Wild) writes: The hunter needs to prepare an attention, which does not consist in riveting itself on the presumed but consists precisely in not assuming anything and in avoiding inattentiveness.
It is a ‚universal attention‘, which does not inscribe itself on any point and tries to be on all points. This is similar to certain meditation techniques, especially, ‚Shikantaza‘ a practice of the Soto sect in Zen.

Or, in the words of the Japanese poet Basho

Sitting quietly, doing nothing
Spring comes
And the grass grows by itself

There are basic techniques that support the process of recognizing awareness, and that I share in the context of workshops, yet, eventually all of experience may become a reference point to do so.