In a poignant and very spiritual posting on their Instagram channel and in full via their Telegram channel Ukraine’s Closer crew have announced that they will be sadly closing down their record store. With the obvious stresses and ongoing travesties of the war with Russia it is understandable that operations have become stretched. In true Closer ethos, the team have gotten back to as much as resembles normality as possible. This has resulted in a program of events taking place at the club which included massive events on both NYE and NYD.
Moving on to the news about their record store and their rather emotional but upbeat announcement confirming that they will shortly be closing down their record store. Rather than being glum the Closer family were surprisingly resolute about the closure decision. Their spiritual mind-set meant that the hard-fought situation was not so much a sad end but as the completion of a worthy experience and it has been visually created as the above colourful mandala. There will be more chances to have a dig at their store before it finally closes and there will more information coming on that soon. Rather than labouring over its meaning the full statement can be found below…
This is the last post from the Closer Record Store page, so it can be considered a farewell… Yes, our store is closing. Of course, we are a little sad, but at the same time, we ask that no one be sad, because changes are a sign of life.
In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a very important meditation ritual, or sacred rite – the process of creating a mandala.
Mandala is a complex geometric symbol, which is interpreted as a model of the universe, a “map of the cosmos”, a reflection of everything. It is so sacred that even its creation is considered a full-fledged object of worship. According to the scheme of mandalas, Hindu temples and Vedic altars are built, and their images are also used for initiation into Buddhist monks.
It is believed that the interest of the Western scientific community began with Carl Gustav Jung, who noticed the presence of a very similar symbol in many cultures and religions, and became interested in it.
How does this all relate to Closer Record Store closing? It’s very simple: one of the key processes in the creation of a mandala is its destruction. Immediately after the very laborious, complex act of its creation, which takes more than one day, is completed; the monks destroy the mandala with a few movements, and thousands of small multi-colored elements, which only a moment ago made up a flawless pattern, become ordinary pebbles that will be collected in a pile and given to the waters of the river.
Why do this? To spend so much energy and time to create something that will be destroyed in one second? Perhaps the first reason is a reminder that everything in this world seeks change and cannot stand still. Secondly, it teaches courage and the ability not to get attached to anything, because everything has its beginning, as well as its end.
Therefore, I have the honor, sadness and pleasure (at the same time) to tell you “see you soon”. A new store will probably open at this location, but that will be a completely different story. I am very grateful to everyone involved for everything that has been 🙂 and for everything that will be.
P.S. Later, we will make a separate announcement about the final sale and the work schedule until closing, and tomorrow we are waiting for you from 14 to 18, just like in the good old days.
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