As Above, So Below

Throughout our lives we make conscience decisions determining what we present to the world and what we keep to ourselves. As above, so below is a representation of that process. This work is about what is seen and what goes unnoticed, what we show and what we keep hidden, and the action of self-reflection and the healing process. There are certain facets that are believed to be imperfect, and thus are kept tucked away, however, sometimes, these are the most precious aspects of ones being. Vulnerability occurs when we allow ourselves to be seen in the raw, but self-acknowledgement is necessary to reach this point. We must see the beauty within us and forbid self-detriment to control this insight. This piece acts as an inquiry into the action of self-reflection, acknowledgement, and the healing process. It asks us to take the raw, bare truth, which is the natural state of humans, and acknowledge it in our whole. We choose to show a certain self to the outside world, but the person found underneath the worked façade is more of who we actually are than whom we present. This self is always present, but ones struggle is in allowing it tobe exposed.

​This work represents my meticulous side, the side that becomes the compulsive, processed “perfection” I create, doing so to fit the standards of what I find “suitable” to share with the world. I have chosen to present this façade, but am now also exposing that which only those willing to investigate, and I, have previously seen.

​Life is brought into the work through the use of un-vitrified clay, water, and light. Clay (dirt) equals history and a composite of past life, that and those which have gone before, representing the vessel that is the human body. The use of terra cotta clay is in reaction to its color and low firing temperature, which maintains its susceptibility to change and deterioration over time. Water is the sustenance of life and represents circulation, the flow of energy between all living things, and metamorphosis. It is the subconscious, reflection, purification, and transformation. Light is “the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.” It represents understanding, enlightenment, and clarity, and also embodies the energy that is life, love, and healing, which reference a higher power. By submerging the vessels in water and allowing the water to penetrate them while the light’s warmth evaporates the water within them, I am forcing circulation, and thus life, back into the clay as the flowing of liquid through the body begins (like the fluids flowing throughout all living things). 

​The beauty in the world is often in what goes unnoticed but when seen becomes captivating. This work is about looking and contemplation. Upon viewing As above, so below the allure is in the simplicity of the natural qualities of the clay. The rough, imperfect underside symbolizes the unseen, while the processed, smooth, tooled surfacebecomes what we initially observe. This relates to many aspects of nature and human emotion in the strong juxtaposition between what we present or what others see and the true beauty within the natural form of the self.

​I’ve chosen to use the conceptual aspect of clay in relation to numerology to further assert my message of the concept presented. I was introduced to the use of numeral representations during my childhood education in the Roman Catholic setting. Throughout the bible specific numbers are revealed as being significant through patterns in words. The number four is representative of the world, the number six for human, and seven for God. The symbolic numbers throughout As above, so below reveal the concept portrayed within the materials used. The number seven not only represents God, but also the forgiveness of sin and thus the forgiveness of bad in the world (4) and within the self(human, 6). Between this and the use of seven lights, I am attempting to reveal the troubles of the human condition as well as the fact that all will be resolved and forgiven after the inner acceptance of such situations and actions.

​The configuration of vessels, water, and light are centrally located on a platform within the installation. Bordering this arrangement is a walkway, allowing the viewer to circumambulate the elements of this work, making it visible from all sides. Light illuminates the underside of the vessels, creating a strong reflection. This causes each vessel and its counterpart to appear as one, thereby representing the multiple sides of a single object or being: of these, the tangible and the ethereal. By using a platform to raise the work the viewers encounter this moment, the moment when the materials and the impalpable meet, upon entering the installation. “As above, so below” is a phrase that speaks of the connections between inner and outer forces, the tangible and the ethereal; it is the bridge making man and the higher exist as one. This is a sacramental phrase. It is representative of the unspeakable, those experiences and that knowledge which become difficult to verbalize. The expression refers to the experiences apart from the material world, making those without the acceptance of a place beyond the physical world incapable of comprehension.

​As above, so below is my confession. It is my endeavor in self-reflection and understanding, acting also as an attempt to have others partake in the concept of reflection and self-acknowledgement. I am using recognizable forms, materials, and shapes to create a sense of familiarity and serenity. In this environment, the viewer is encouraged to sit and extensively experience the work, which leads to the formation of individual connections. Whether the viewer reaches the emotional standpoint intended for this work or not, so long as they take a moment to truly look and experience the piece and allow it to evoke some sort of reaction, and thus enticing them to formulate their own response, I feel the piece has accomplished the inquiry desired.