Empty Pouch
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
49° 53’ 57” N 119° 27’ 30” W
Empty Pouch
Soapstone Carving - Unfinished
Size
9 cm x 5 cm
2025 & 2026
About
Empty Pouch 2026
Is a mystical device meant to enable the user to hold and engage an idea as portable - into the pouch through one opening.
At that same time, your other - self in the other moment - with you - meets that intention - from the other opening.
Imagining / visioning the reality of your tomorrow. Holding something safe - sacred - outside of here.
This conceptual piece, a mystical apparatus, inspired by existential thinking around the ‘uncarved block’ as a Taoist reading on quantum superposition or Egypt's Kufku Ship destined for the afterlife.
The Empty Pouch is my attempt to hand over an artifact and relic that the designed intention is as clear today as in 4000+ years from now.
About the markings;
Everything + Nothing o - each side
Two Side openings for two users - one here - one there
Impossible language glyphs - no meaning until assigned by users.
Frequency of Infinity Loops
Conceptual
The Empty Pouch was conceived as something like an Apostrophe integer - when unitized the apostrophe changes the state of words on either side. Making possessive.
A pouch is the object of this concept.
Here the ‘user’ will ascribe meaning to the otherwise non-meaning markings/glyphs and thus create access to the interior.
The duality nature of existence motivated by love and light are assumed.
This work began…
Poem
The Empty Pouch
a mystical apparatus
The artist had an idea.
M - the artist's name - was given this name because people love letters - and what they do.
M imagined something.
M imaged something.
M saw it - not outside - it was inside M’s mind.
M was not sure what it was.
M recognized it as something very familiar.
Was it part of a sentence? It had a function but - where have I used it before?
I know I have used it many times - and often - for as long as my memory.
How big was it?
Like a fever dream image - it had no size.
M thought of all possibilities and considered - it wasn’t actually a thing.
It was more like a shape - always this shape.
M thought more…
Two ideas came at once -
it’s an apostrophe - it’s a pouch -
that I hang over my head and shoulder - to put things in.
The artist decided to make it - in the studio.
As an apostrophe - it carries meaning and makes space within words.
Space and new meanings.
As a pouch - it will hold and carry everything - everything happy and everything sad - things old and things new - and every important thing.
The artist was overwhelmed with sadness - how can I make something like this?
It would need to be the most beautiful pouch.
Nothing could go inside - the pouch needed all of the space for everything - if something was in the pouch - then everything could not fit.
The pouch needed to be empty - so that everything could fit inside.
The artist cried and couldn’t stop - so sad that it was more beautiful than could possibly be made.
Still - the artist decided it must be made.
Tomorrow I will start and be finished in 10 days.
The pouch will carry everything - everything happy and everything sad - things old and things new - and every important thing.
Each day the artist worked making the pouch - crying and working - feeling sad.
Day by day the artist used all the best materials - coloured thread for the outside - sea shells for the pouch.
Beautifully smooth inside - it would hold everything - especially every important thing.
Sadness was part of making the empty pouch.
The day before the pouch would be finished - M looked at it and saw that it was the best pouch that could have been made.
Still - the sadness remained - tomorrow I will finish the pouch.
It was sunny - M would finish today.
Each day before - it was cloudy and rainy.
When the artist entered the studio - it was clear what the pouch needed - to be finished.
The pouch - the empty pouch - that holds nothing - has space for everything.
I must close the opening - so that nothing can go inside - so that everything could fit.
More sadness came - how could I finish it?
M made imaginary glyphs - symbols of no meaning - impossible to understand.
M used these to stitch together the opening - in a way that no one would be able to put anything inside - because no one could ever put anything inside - because the pouch needed to remain empty.
The pouch will carry everything - everything happy and everything sad - things old and things new - and every important thing.
M finished and was very happy with the empty pouch - and made many more magical things - in the studio.
Utilizing the Magic of The Empty Pouch
Make up your own meaning for the glyphs - your secret meaning - like a key - to open one side of the pouch.
The other side automatically knows your intention - and becomes open - and absorbs your meaning - it becomes real.
Now only You can put anything in and take anything out - keeping everything inside safe - and magic.
As an apostrophe - it makes things yours - connecting you with anything everywhere and everything anywhere.
As a pouch - it holds safe and real - all things possible and all things impossible, possible.
Everything happy and everything sad - things old and things new - and every important thing.
by Steve Huculiak
2026 07 01
Artwork + Poem
Steve Huculiak