ARTIST STATEMENT
Journey to the Dark Side is an artistic interpretation of Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung’s psychological concept and study of the Shadow Self and Shadow Work. The Shadow Self is an aspect of oneself that harnesses repressed thoughts, emotions, memories, and traits. This conceptual art installation incorporates a black eight-foot sculpted faceless shadow figure made from wood, plastic, paper, newsprint, glue, hardware, and paint. This figure represents the Shadow Self. The height of the figure is larger than life and appears intimidating since we often neglect to face our own shadows due to fear, insecurity, or denial.
Surrounding the shadow figure, sits four color-changing LED lights secured within a spherical sculpture made from barbed wire, metal wire, and black ribbon representing the challenges, softness, and illuminating realizations associated with shadow work. Shadow work is the process of “illuminating” the shadow by acknowledging these repressed aspects of ourselves and processing them to become whole and authentic. Each color presented in this installation has psychological associations based on color theory and Carl Jung’s archetypes of the Shadow.
To add to the sensory experience, a fog machine is utilized along with an audio component. The audio features my own voice (and story) and other voices from volunteers and the public domain. This is a subject that I am passionate about and have been teaching globally for over 2 years. I chose this subject as a new and creative way to explore this topic while raising awareness of this form of inner work. As the artist of this installation, my goal is to draw the viewer into an immersive sensory experience that evokes unsettling emotions while raising awareness of the importance of facing this part of ourselves. May we realize each of us all have something hidden and rooted beneath the surface. Be kind. Be well. Be you.
Welcome to the dark side.