Feng Shui defines spatial art

Bill Land casts a photo from Walt Disney World onto the wall, a loud click accompanying the change of slides in his out-of-date projector.

“This is one of our sacred spaces,” Land said, joking.

He compliments the positive energy coming from the strong, upright towers of Cinderella’s Castle, and the beauty of the three-level flower bed.

The slide projector clicks again. Land shows photos of local, national and international houses and business suffering from sha, or negative, energy.

Too much rock. Too much metal. Too much white. Too little feng shui.

Land, the director of Lotus Tuan Institute for Feng Shui, spoke Tuesday night at the Venue Fine Art & Gifts as part of an ongoing weekly event series.

Gallery Assistant David Colman said it has put on an event every Tuesday for the past three and half years. Guests include informative lecturers, authors and magicians.

“(We schedule) people who we meet and come to know that have interesting areas of expertise to represent,” Colman said. “I’ve known Bill Land for 35 years as a city planner and feng shui expert.”

Land is an IU alumnus with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology. He said his interest in feng shui developed from his Asian studies classes at IU.

Since then, he has expanded his study of feng shui, founded Lotus Tuan and worked as an urban planner and consultant.

“Every home and every little place opens up for me,” Land said. “I can see and feel the energy. I connect it to ancient theory, which I love.”

The term feng shui translates to water and wind. Land said it expresses power and beauty, and the practice of feng shui is energy-oriented and spiritual.

Land is currently working on a book titled “Essential Feng Shui for American Families” to improve the spiritual energy that can get lost in busy family homes.

“One of the problems with American design standards is we clutter things,” Land said. “The chaos in our homes tends to match the chaos in our lives.”

He admits to his intimate audience of about 15 people that he was skeptical about the power of feng shui at first, but he has seen it transform his clients’ lives.

“When we add a little bit of feng shui knowledge, it opens things up for us,” he said.