This was the work I selected for my Postgraduate Degree show at The Glasgow School of Art
Us & Us
This body of work is a representation of the disparity we often place between humanity with the natural world, and the resulting contradiction this mentality generates. I have personified this dual state of thought by using the traffic figures from the pedestrian crossing -as characterising the structured, imposed, urban element of our species- with the mythological green figure. A model of which has existed in some form or another since and most likely before the advent of the agricultural revolution. Portrayals encompass any deity linked to fertility, rebirth and nature, a few examples include; Osiris from ancient Egypt, Bacchus from Greek mythology, Al-Khidr from the Islamic world, as well as a multitude of carved foliate heads found in pre-reformation churches across Europe.
The work is not so concerned by the specific manifestations in mythology as in the fact that the need to epitomise an idea of the wild seems to be ubiquitous. Suggesting a deep acknowledgement in our psyche that we are a part of the natural world rather than detached from it. The engravings on wood hark to traditionalism in art medium yet these raster engravings from hand drawn works have been burnt into the natural material with a machine. Images are displayed of how forces such as fire occur naturally as well as through human activity, not to downplay our destructive force, only to highlight our part of the larger scene, that our time will only be a short blip in the history of our planet let alone the universe.
The humorous characters interact with each other, a visual impression of our minds at war with themselves, as the environment deteriorates. The green myth figure embodies the compassion that exists in our species, an often overlooked yet undeniably present element of our psychological make-up. This, opposing the driving force of the traffic figures, the red portraying our psychopathic tendencies, the green our most common aptitude for obliviousness and unintentional damage through our combined day-to-day activities.
