Monday, September 3, 2012

We Are Not Alone


Aliens, those sometime friendly, but more often sinister visitors from outer space, figure large in human history. Many ancient religions as well as some modern ones believe their ancestors came from the stars. Part of the intrigue undoubtedly comes from our fascination of the other, that being completely outside our knowledge at the edge of our imagination. Onto these creatures, we can heap our own fears and uncertainties about life and the unknown.

My own interest with things alien has always been closer to home, not outer space, but inner space. The inner space I speak of lies in that nearby but mysterious space between our ears, the region called the noggin.

"Why do I choose one course of action over another?" "Why do I do such crazy things?" Sometimes it seems like an unseen alien in my noggin is calling the shots, making me think and act in ways that are counter productive. In psychology, these unconscious aliens are simply thought of as disassociated aspects of our own psyche. Plato's aphorism, "Know thyself," encourages each of us to bring those lost parts of ourselves home to the whole.

My art has always been about shining light on the unseen gremlins of the psyche and perhaps, in that sense, a belief in aliens is our attempt to come to grips with our own otherness. In the end, they are nothing but a construct of human consciousness.

Opening Friday night at Dunedin Fine Art Center is an exhibition called "Intergalactic." This diverse and exciting show about aliens will feature two of my most recent works.

 

3 comments:

Lib said...

We are trained to have such a limited concept of who we are. Having accepted the dual nature of my mind, i find, it is multiple natured and the alien in there is 17 foot high with a 6 foot apparatus,: there is another form of me which is a giant chicken - it feels like a chicken though it is motherly like a hen with fluffy feathers for little creatures to snug up in. I love my other beings.
I communicate with the male god of my childhood when I think thoughts that require a consciousness greater than mine, and sometimes when I'm lucky , with the female goddess - when i feel related to beautiful earth and body matter.
Yay - expand consciousness without losing touch with consensual reality - yippee.
Sometimes I experience a playful consciousness in matter - it is my consciousness reading the signs for sure , but i didnt create the exterior world - just my interpretation of it - and it is SO alive - patterns in the pavement tell stories, trees have faces, in fact there are faces everywhere - oh its a delightful game.
A non consensual ( often described as insane) attention to and/ or selection of input can make the radio be talking to you in a way that is astounding, random music be intuned to the moment in active communication - aahhh.
Shadows communicate.
Just always with the caveat that this is individual experience and others select a more consensual reading of stimuli.
In necessary socialisation ,we have been trained to ignore too much.

Sarah said...

I just found your blog and am so amazed by your artwork. Looking forward to seeing more! :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for your kind comments.