Hands – A Mystery 2

 

 

 

I have been exploring some processes & effects that link modern mass media with some of humanity’s earliest  interpretations  & depictions of both the natural world &  inner world. There have been experiments with intentionally degrading audio by making copies of copies to reduce the sound to a basic form.  I tried to do something similar  with recent photographs of my hand. By making line copies of the original image over and over and then layering them together I created line images that have the characteristics of  entoptic imagery.

 

 

As reported in the earlier post ,    one type of entoptic imagery is called a ‘form-constant’ by some scholars, is also produced beyond the eye in the visual cortex. These images are generally geometric in pattern and originate in the nervous system.  What is of interest to those in the fields of anthropology and the historical development of art & mass media is how these geometric patterns,  which have their roots in altered states of consciousness,  can be seen in the artwork of a variety of indigenous cultural groups. In fact such patterns are part of the early cave art  that can be found in a number of locations around the globe.

 

 

I find it very intriguing that by intentionally degrading an image using modern mass media  methods you not only reveal an inner pattern , but that these new images share in the characteristics of early sacred tribal art that appears to be universal . Are we imposing meaning or are we revealing the inner codes and conventions of our perceptions of reality ? Tony of  Xraypics has been exploring a similar line of creative expression through his manipulation of x-ray photographs.  Starting with images that reveal the inner physical reality of an individual’s health, Tony goes on to explore the social & psychological realities beyond the body.  As I commented to him earlier, we are, through the use of modern mass media, simply painting our visions on the walls of our digital caves.