"The Invisible" Montage: Brainstorming

When I hear the words, “The Invisible”, I think of:

-       The weak and unwanted in our society; pre-born children and elderly people

-       People with incurable diseases/STDs

-       The “sketchy” kids at our school; adolescents who come from abusive homes and/or don’t have the same opportunities as myself

-       Nuns and strongly religious people; they seem to have a stronger presence in the city than in Bruce Grey

-       The moral truths found in Catholicism; they are “right under our noses” but we don’t appreciate or recognize them—rather, we often ridicule the religion as a whole because it seems like a list of rules to follow/stands in the way of our desires

-       The Jewish people and their present-day struggles

-       Custodians, gardeners, cleaning ladies, property caretakers; all underappreciated

-       The supernatural element; demons, angels, ghosts and the afterlife

-       The vaccinations we receive and their true effect on us

-       The synthetic estrogen from contraceptives and the hormones from the factory farm-raised meat we consume on a regular basis (their presence in our bodies)

Because I believe that the supernatural element best encompasses my idea of “The Invisible”, I chose it as the theme of my montage. Ever since I was a child, I was hugely interested in the idea of an afterlife and the presence of Satan on earth. When I was about six years old I started talking to my guardian angel and asking him (I was pretty sure it was a him—his name was Fabien) for help to be good when I felt tempted to do wrong. I also started crossing myself with holy water before bed each night. Every once in a while, when I walked into a foreign room or building, I could feel an evil presence. One instance that I remember very well took place when I was exploring an old log cabin near Collingwood. As I stepped inside, I felt the most horrific, filthy sensation I have even known; I could almost smell the evil. It was as though a murder or rape had been committed in that very room, and the evil of it still hung about the place. I was disgusted when I discovered that neither of my brothers (who accompanied me to the cabin) could feel the foul ambiance, and suspected that they were not real humans. I don’t know if it was demonic or not, but having Fabien around sure helped. I still experience sensations of this nature occasionally, but I think I felt them more strongly when I was little.

I would like to have my piece of art embody both the sense of horror I had for Satan and demonic influences, and the comfort and contentment I found in Fabien as a friend—I could trust him more than any of my fellow humans (if they were humans—I couldn’t decide whether or not for a long while). It should condemn the immature and dangerous belief that calling up demons is harmless, and impart the truth that both morality and immorality exist in the spiritual realm. I want to include lighter images of realistically painted angels, perhaps animals, and a picture of Christ’s face to represent the good spiritual presence I felt. The creepy, revolting aura will be demonstrated through the use of several dark images of which I do not have definite ideas regarding (perhaps a painting of Satan, if I can find one good enough, etc.). I might use the slightly sinister-looking duotone photo of myself to blend the two “sides” together and illustrate humanity’s capacity for both good and evil.

When she/he looks at this piece of art, I want the viewer to feel, basically, as I did when I was a child. I want them to feel the same dread, anger and disgust for the evil in the demonic presence, and the same happiness I knew in my alliance with a spiritual pure being. If they had a childhood anything like mine, they should experience an old, familiar sensation. If not (which is more likely—I was pretty strange) they should feel slightly confused, but also come away with a definite sense of satisfaction and at least a partial understanding of my perspective regarding good versus evil.