INNER OBSERVATORY
       
     
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QUADROPUS
       
     
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INNER OBSERVATORY
       
     
INNER OBSERVATORY

Inner Observatory and Quadropus were created for the Taubman Museum in Roanoke VA. in 2017 as part of PLAY. A group show of artists making work using objects that can be classified as kids toys. http://www.taubmanmuseum.org/calendar/9554/play

 

Quadropus Didactic

It is common for a toddler to begin to associate their name with who they are, they often will refer to themselves in the third person. “Jonny is hungry.” Or “That’s Jonny’s toy.” Shortly after this they will learn the words “I” and “me” or “my.” As we mature many people continue to make the mistake of identifying who they are by the things they own, or the clothes they wear and even more common, the functions they serve. Most people have a mental image of who they are, and invariably will assign labels or “identities” to others whom they meet. For example when you go to the supermarket, you my mistake the store clerk for little more than the function they are serving as the clerk and the clerk has likely done the same to you. You are now seen as little more than a customer. In this instance you have a projected image of who you think you are, “John Smith, senior accountant, married, two kids, owner of a BMW etc,” and the store clerk also has a projected image of themselves. Add these two mental images to the projected identities of store clerk and customer and you may see that in any given encounter with another person, there are four false identities being exchanged. The truth to be discovered is that each of us are ultimately not the things we own, or the car we drive, but are a physical manifestation of consciousness. We are conscious experience. And if we can just let go of those identities for a moment and have a meaningful exchange with the other, the opportunity for true human connection returns. This is the meaning of Jesus’s words “deny thyself” and “heaven is right here in the midst of you.”

 

Quadropus may be seen to have four curving appendages descending from a large dome-like upper structure. Each of the four appendages provide an opening for viewers to look inside. And each one is at a different height to accommodate any age range or variance of tallness of viewers. But what viewers will discover is that looking into the openings at the ends of the tubes will not give a complete view of the form or its inner structure. Instead, guests will have to get seemingly lower, perhaps even crawl on their hands and knees to go underneath the greater dome shape and from this lower vantage point gain a much greater perspective.

From below, it will be possible to recognize the intricate and orderly construction patterns of the protective dome and experience the true nature of the form. And it may even occur that you will find yourself sharing that space with another or maybe even a handful of others. In this way you will not merely be the roles you play in society but you will be willing participants in a conscience experience about experiencing consciousness.

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QUADROPUS
       
     
QUADROPUS
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