ARTIST'S STATEMENT

"Sanctuary" is a mental concept with both physical and psychological aspects. It can be understood by considering Sanctuary as a subset of Wall archetype.

Without walls, civilization probably would not exist. Humans can be divided into those who build and depend on walls and those who prefer to live freely outside of walls. For example, the Spartans of ancient Greece despised those who hid behind city walls. However, even the Spartans relied upon the cultural “walls” of the warrior ethos. On the other hand, their adversaries, the Athenians, depended on walls. Some were made of stone, and others consisted of the ideas that formed the basis of Western culture.

The psychologist Carl Jung considered himself an architect of the mind. He used architecture as a tool to explain the “construction” of the psyche. Jung had a revelatory dream of an ideal “Dream House” that led to his concept of the “collective unconscious.” He related the floors of this house to levels of the mind, that is, archetypes. The “collective unconscious” contains archetypes, which are inherent repositories of meaning. They are common to all humans and are not acquired by personal or cultural experiences. Some examples include the Mother archetype and, as here, the Wall and Sanctuary archetypes.

He built two homes on the shores of Lake Zurich that represent two basic aspects of the mind: the conscious and unconscious. The goal of his psychotherapy was the integration of the two into the Self. The unwanted parts of the psyche that are repressed, the Shadow, can be identified as “stonewalling.” Walls may be penetrated and deconstructed, leading to liberation or, conversely, to subjugation.

While walls and enclosed spaces in the form of sacred gardens, monasteries, and castles may represent protection, they may also symbolize social isolation. “Build bridges not walls” is a metaphor for bridges as hope, reconciliation, transition, and communication. Similarly, roads indicate a journey and the achievement of goals. Even the absence of walls, represented by open spaces and bodies of water can represent Sanctuary.

Sanctuary can be as obvious as the site of religious pilgrimage ("Madonna at Midnight") or an island castle protected by stone walls and water ("Highlander Retreat"). Sanctuary can also be found in the solace of community ("The Race"). A sanctuary can be violated, and the ruin remains as a witness ("Last Refugee—1244"). Death can be either a gain or loss of sanctuary. In "Eternal Vigil," the graves are attended by surviving loved ones and watched over by the tower. The journey (see Begin, Walk On) can be the active search for sanctuary that over time can be gained or lost. In "Paradise Lost," humans have been expelled from the Garden of Eden—and replaced by the birds, who represent freedom in their ability to fly. The powerful light of hope illuminates the Tree of Life and the hope of restoration.

I chose the palladium process and translucent vellum paper to emphasize the timeless nature of the theme of this portfolio.