LIGHT
/ DARK
REFLECTION
/ DISTORTION
INSIDE
/ OUTSIDE
GROWTH
/ DECAY
All
of these themes are inverse responses, contradictions and reactions.
One half of any of them is incomplete without the other and all are
both literal and allegorical in their use in language and
description.
LIGHT
/ DARK
Themes
of light and dark both mean literal interpretation of the physics of
light and shadow, the science of colour and optical reception, as
well as more romantic references to positivity and negativity, and
all the numerous ways it is applied in our culture and others.
Generally speaking, light is seen as good, literally as positive, and
the opposite is said of darkness, that it is malaevolent,
threatening, and the origin of fear. In religious context, notably
Christianity, 'the light' is representative of God and His influence,
and of darkness of Satan and his respective influence. Such metaphors
extend beyond literary interpretation and are used and applied in
every day life by some, taking those who dwell in, or clad themselves
in darkness as to be not only threatening, but in some way of the
Devil. On a broader level, darkness and light is a much more
fundamental structure than is represented in religious texts, and
there is a natural predisposition towards light and against darkness
that is purely biological, linked in with the physical requirements
of almost all living things upon the sunlight, and the unknown threat
of what cannot be seen at night. Predators lurk and unsure footing
abound in darkness. Illumination also refers to intellectuality, and
the greater understanding of the world and it's systems, and it is no
coincidence that the same word serves both to be observable but also
one who has observed and is in a stronger position because of it.
REFLECTION
/ DISTORTION
Clear
reflection is representation in it's purest form, perhaps
uncomfortably so when the reflection is not so welcome. It could be
argued that all creative output is reflection upon that which creates
and the inner perspective that is otherwise unknowable. At the same
time, distortion is often applied knowingly or otherwise to the
reflective process, and is a constant factor in artistic practise. It
is when reflection is not welcome that distortion can occur in the
process, linking to the subconcious (or a more collective subconcious
in the case of institutions practising in revisionism with their own
behaviour – past, present or future, in order to justify the
behaviour or disguise it). Images of self worth, or lack of, can lead
to these distortions in self representation, most commonly in terms
of physicality or perceptions of social standing. The distortion can
serve both for and against self perception, but ultimately neither
side of the equation is desirable as it requires a certain detachment
from reality that clashes against social functions. Assuming Freuds
concept of the ego is correct, it is then the most malleable and
often distorted aspect of our selves, the results of distortion are
ever present in society and popular culture, and is a standard tool
of public relations, advertising and politics. The idea of appealing
to someone's 'ego', or using someones percetions of self-worth or
lack there-of, to obtain advantage, is universal and in the modern
world, in constant use towards everyone with a bank account.
Advertisers constantly appeal to a perceived lacking or flaw in our
lives, appealing to our complicated emotions regarding our physical
condition, our appearance and our status in society. Personal
solutions are sold using the power of distortion upon ourselves, and
ideologies are presented upon the power of distortion of the world
around us. True reflection is at once both constantly available yet
rarely observed, as our minds are not capable of simply observing
without affecting our own personalities onto our observations,
leading to universally unique perspectives, and at the same time, a
lack of pure truth.
Another
Freudian concept, the uncanny, is particularly involved in distortion
and reflection, referring to the emotional, almost primitive response
that people have to things that should be familiar, as a reflection
ought to be, yet in some way unfamiliar, and uncomfortable. We
experience the uncanny more and more in our society, often notably in
our popular culture and entertainment – in cinema, the advent of
advanced computer effects has both an effect of adding realism, yet
also taking it away, providing us with images that are at once deeply
considered and carefully rendered, yet impossible to actually
experience beyond the frame of the film itself, which we
instinctively detect as awry. This is most noticeable when attempts
are made to represent living beings, especially people, with computer
effects. The 'uncanny valley' refers to the concept that there is a
scale of acceptance of images by the brain, and as images become more
realistic, the acceptance grows until the images are at a level of
realism that is previously unsurpassed, yet not authentic enough to
be entirely believed to be real, creating an unease in the viewer.
This concept applies also to the field of robotics and prosthetics,
in the attempts of scientists to recreate and represent human anatomy
and in doing so create something that is neither purely mechnical nor
authentically human. Rubber is no substitute for skin, and glass is
no substitute for eyes, and the brain cannot respond as it did
previously if these elements are detected. The experience too of
having perception altered during an experience, upon closer
inspection perhaps of such an artefact, is deeply unsettling and is
entirely uncanny; the realisation that the figure standing before you
is not a person, but instead a clothed mannequin with a mask of latex
features, can lead to a disturbance, and even possibly a hostile
response, as the notion arises that somehow something has breached
your defences and invaded your conciousness via your perceptions.
INSIDE
/ OUTSIDE
The
concept of inside and outside is again just as involved in our
personal lives as it is in literal intepretatons and reference to
physical space. How we relate to our environments in the exterior,
and our own psychological environments of the interior, as well as
literal interpretations of physical spaces, of containment and of
proportional sizes, are all metaphorical of each other as well as
distinct in their own right. It is often used in art to represent the
internal 'mindscape' as a physical realm, to consider the mind
something to be explored as you would a museum or a house, full of
details and artifacts inextricably linked to memory and emotional
resonance, a useful visual metaphor for giving the intangible a
degree of form, or at least something visually identifiable. Beyond
the interior elements of psyche, we are also obsessed with our own
physicality, of the function of our internal organs and our external
representation and perception by other people. Tying in to the themes
of reflection and distortion, situations often arise where the
external and the internal are in conflict with each other, resulting
in dissonance leading to disortion of self image and perception of
the surround environment, or those occupying it. Associations
developed over time linked with types of environment, with a variety
of connotations that differ from person to person, lead to variable
inclinations and oppositions to certain types of spaces, as well as
specific places themselves. Incidences of trauma or even lesser forms
of stress can result in specific places or specific types of places
becoming tainted in the mind; a common example would be dentist
surgerys, or hospitals, places that are perhaps associated with
experiences of discomfort or even great pain. Conversely, the concept
of 'home' is one that is typically associated with a sense of refuge,
fortification and comfort, regardless of where 'home' is or what form
it actually takes. This concept of home extends beyond dwellings,
into wider territories such as familiar surroundings in a broader
sense, or even an entire city or country, though this tends to occur
more when such places are more distant and unavailable, referencing
instead longing for comfort rather than experiencing it at the time.
In some cases, the qualities of a location are entirely determined by
shared experiences, with the actual details of a space being largely
irrelevant, and instead having their estimation raised merely by
being the vessel for positivity.
The
physical qualities of environments, as say defined by architects or
other designers, serve purpose and function, whatever those functions
may be. For example, all space within one square mile of a
city-centre, has been designed, considered and constructed at one
time or another, however in such environments these are designs that
are usually in contrast and juxtaposition with each other,
particularly in areas of renovation amongst areas designed many years
previously, in a different era with very different considerations to
what may be the case now. You may find spaces such as office
buildings, restaurants, supermarkets and small shops, parks, canals
and so on. In cities, all of these areas are competing for existance,
and over the course of decades, what once occupied one space may
eventually become something entirely different, or be completely
removed from the landscape and something entirely different
constructed in it's place. Increasingly, buildings are being designed
and built with more than simple input/output functionality in mind,
but also as experiences, and to evoke specific kinds of emotional
responses in those who enter their space. Through the results of
various studies in psychology, conclusions (not always in league with
one another) have been drawn as to what kind of environments are more
suitable for people as a whole, depending on the desired outcome, and
increasingly through the use materials, environments are sculpted
around human emotion as a means to a sense of productivity or at
least positivity. This isn't a particularly novel concept, as the
design and creation of gardens and the design (and more specifically,
the tailoring) of homes to be pleasing and comforting has been around
as long as the financial means have been available in order to
achieve it.
GROWTH
/ DECAY
Inextricably
linked to the human condition and in turn to the universe as a whole,
growth and decay are perhaps the most fundamental elements of
existance; indeed they are the internal steps between the stages of
life and death. As such, growth and expansion are very much a
preoccupation with our species, and decline and destruction likewise
a consistent concern and fear. We all grow from virtually nothing to
complex, intelligent accumulations of experience and understanding,
systems of flesh and bone and neurology with complexity on a
comparable scale to astronomy, to the degree that we are not fully
able to comprehend ourselves and our place in the universe. Possibly,
this void of understanding is what lies at the heart of all
creativity, a desire to make sense of our lives and environments and
shared history, the creation of religious doctrine in order to simply
make sense of the world and to govern it's contents by the only
measure we are able to rely upon: rules, laws, things set in stone.
Growth
is both remarkable and unpredictable, and with that lack of a
reliable future comes trepidation and fear. The analogies of
competing ideologies and cancer are not surprising, and represent an
important bond between social constructions and the more physical
realities we experience, and how we make sense of our existance. The
body is our vesssel and our bible, ever changing yet constant in an
individual's experience, never transferred or replaced entirely.
Parts may come and go, grow strong and wither, and although organs
may be transplanted or removed entirely, our brains, our minds, stay
linked to the physical form. The discussion of the existance of souls
is a curious one, and like all religious conceits, difficult to prove
or disprove, either way. Ultimately it is a romantic concept, born
mostly from the need to explain existance after death, to nullify the
horror of absolute zero. Just as do not know the moment our
conciousness begins, we do not know the moment it ends, truly.
The
process of decay is part of the process of death, whether literally
in reference to living creatures or the existance and form of
inanimate objects, or objects observing a chemical process or
reaction. Stars are born and also die, and in between they are
defined by their chemical existance, and the consequences of their
actions, the same as any person. It is unsurprising that throughout
human history, objects such as the sun have been anthropomorphised to
an extent, certainly deified, and given personality and character in
response to their effects on civilisation.
