This portfolio as well as those of ancient theatres (Tongues Turned to Stone), iconic structures (Sanctuary), and Street Life explores the archetype of “walls” in various contexts. Archetypes, according to the psychologist Carl Jung, are innate structures of the mind. This implies that man is not a “blank slate,” but is born with inherent universal symbols or values.
The concept of archetypes advanced by Jung is consistent with the Essentialist perspective. In contrast, Existentialists, such as the French philosopher John Paul Sartre, assert that “existence precedes essence,” that is, man exists without any given characteristics and is thus free, or condemned, to choose his own way. In other words, “man becomes rather than is.” As country singer George Jones more poetically put it, “living and dying with the choices I’ve made.”
Historically, man is a wall-builder. Without walls, no civilization could exist. Walls themselves have a dual nature that alternates between protection/security and separation/restraint. Specifically, “walls” may serve to separate spaces, define boundaries, and create barriers both physical and psychological. The definitive example of such a “wall” archetype is the Berlin Wall, which confined both minds and bodies in furtherance of Communist ideology.
Nazism and Communism embody ideological “essence.” Each limits freedom in the cause of a purported “good” by building psychological, philosophical, and physical “walls.” My images of physical walls that Rise, Fall, and Rise Again imply that man first “exists” without any a priori “essence” (values) and is thus free, or condemned, to make his own choices, good or bad.
