SUSAN COWLES

Born London, England, 1962

This hologram was first exhibited in New York in 1990 in an exhibition entitled 'Drawing into Light" which was held at the Museum of Holography. The piece was hung at the beginning of the exhibition and was intended to open up the visual narrative of the show. I intended The House of the Moons hologram to be the key image which led the viewer around the exhibition. This is important because it still remains a key image which connects into subsequent images which I have produced.

The House of Moons is a "stage". The meaning of the word 'stage' in this instance is multifaceted. It is a "physical stage", a place where a performance of a divine nature may occur, it is a "stage of artistic development", it is a "stage of Life". The hologram (poetically speaking) is intended to contain all the elements of a perfect dance, i.e. it represents the hidden information that human consciousness applies to move with grace and create a perfect coordinated work of art in space and real time. This piece is very personal, it is a map, a map of the interior mind which shows visual clues as to the past, present and future. All images stem from it and all images will go back to whence they came.

Visually the hologram has multi-layered images of phases of the moon which are set on a circular spatial arrangement within the holographic space. On the bottom of both panels a small mirror was placed and if the viewer looks carefully the holographic space extends downwards and forms a vertical axis dimension inside the hologram. As the viewer moves around the piece a band of rainbow colour (diffraction grating) lights up the surface. This prompts the viewer to study the surface closer and notice the mark making within the hologram. I intended to create a cathedral-like effect within the space so the viewer would experience a sense of reverence, of being transported to another place and space which extends all boundaries of common logic. It is an image which must be imprinted in the mind, like a memory image, then its talismanic properties will take effect and forever transmute in the thoughts of all who lay their eyes on it.

THE JUGGLER, 1991

This piece was produced for an exhibition entitled "Death and Transformation" which was held at the Interference Gallery in Toronto in 1991. Again this piece was a key image to the narrative of the exhibition. It depicts a Juggler, a masculine figure with a baton in his hands and a table before him which contains a dish and a bowl. This image symbolizes the masculine aspect of the psyche, about to start out in a new venture of union with the feminine. The Juggler has all the elements necessary to start his "show". The vertical baton connects him to heaven and earth where he can draw divine power for his earthly duties. The dish represents the void and connects with his hat, which is the symbol of infinity. The hat also represents math and order, two disciplines which he has at his fingertips. The ball is "wholeness" - the symbol of ever striving for perfection. These "abilities" are before him. The penis is limp, telling the viewer that his magic has not been activated yet, only an interaction with the objects of his performance will produce the desired results.

THE SEED MAKERS, 1991

This hologram was also exhibited in the "Death and Transformation" show in Toronto and is part of the same series as The Juggler.

Two figures are weaving a boat which is constructed of giant seed pods. The seeds are the substance of their recreation. It is imperative that they finish their work for their own survival. They are the seed makers who have the esoteric knowledge of eternal creation. Without them nothing will reproduce or have the information necessary to reproduce. These figures are part of the perfect dance - the whole structure from The Stage of the Chymical Theatre as is The Juggler.

The painted line inside the holographic space forms their image. They are solid, contained, fixed in space. Because their work is an archetype of humanity they are constant in my consciousness and in everyone's consciousness. The seed makers are divine workers in the hermetic order of the universe.

---

Information on this page has been taken from the catalogue:
3 x 8 + 1, 25 Holographic Artworks from the Jonathan Ross Collection.