Heart of Darkness
The true nature of human beings as a whole has always been uncertain at best. Throughout history and even in our modern world there have been countless demonstrations, either by a group of people or at the hands of an individual, of the evil humans are capable of, the evil we seem all but inclined to. The question is this: is this evil just that, what we are simply capable of; a perversion of the goodness; the moon to contrast the sun? Or is it something far more terrifying? Is this evil our true nature; the core of our being; what lies beneath all else within us? Either way, there is an undeniable darkness within our hearts. This collage is a representation of that darkness, of that negative energy, of the devil atop our shoulder that has made himself ever so comfortable.
This collage is comprised entirely of images gathered from various sources. Some can be explained. For others, the dementia may just be able to speak for itself. The images will be discussed starting from the bottom right, going clockwise. First there is the sun, not seen as the cheery, bright bringer of light that we have all grown so used to it as, but depicted as it truly exists in the vast emptiness of space—a star of immeasurable destructive power, constantly erupting with the force of millions upon millions of nuclear bombs. Though it is not discussed very often, it is a scientific fact that one day the sun will explode and wipe out our entire solar system along with it. No more Earth, and unless we are advanced enough to colonize the reaches of space infinitely further than we have ever ventured before, no more humanity.
To the right of the sun is a demon depicted in the traditional garb and position of a Buddhist monk. At the bottom left of the page is what seems to be a church photographed in an incredibly dark, mysterious, even sinister manner. These two haunting images attempt to shake our outlooks on the nature of righteousness and leave us wondering about what is real, and what we only perceive.
Sitting between the two images mentioned above is a perturbed skull inside a military helmet. Above it is a menacing depiction of a fictionalized Soviet commander from the master series of computer entertainment “Metal Gear Solid.” These two have a somewhat more easily discernable theme: the horrors of war. As old as humanity itself, war has been our companion throughout the ages and has claimed more human life than any other detrimental, poisonous, or dangerous substance, condition, or disease. Not cigarettes, not drunk driving, not heart attacks, not cancer, not trembles of the earth, nor obelisk-like waves have shed more blood than our very own machination.
Surrounding the center image of the Soviet Colonel in red are three illustrations of severed and staked heads. To save space, what was once a single image was divided into three separate parts and planted around the collage. The heads have been cut, perhaps torn would be more accurate, off and displayed for all to see on stakes in the ground. Though such a barbaric practice has no place in our part of the world, somewhere out there human beings still exercise such brutality against one another. The evil here really needs no explanation.
At the top left of the collage a winged dealer of death of some sort can be seen flying above what we can imagine to be the souls it seeks to collect; a demonic presence over the head of humanity, as well as under it, and almost always around it.
Towards the top right is a single candle providing the only source of light in an entrenchment of darkness. Could the candle’s light represent the flickers of goodness in humanity? Underneath the candle is a clenched fist in bright, blood red. The most primitive, yet in some cases most dependable weapon a person can wield, what other part of our anatomy could better represent anger and violence?
As for the background, though obscured by the images posted on top, when looked upon naked it is quite the unpleasant sight to behold. I can not even begin to imagine what kind of evil inspired this monstrosity.
Finally, in the top right corner of the collage, north of the sun is the moon. It is very odd that the image of the most traditional sign of darkness in human lore and legend, that which the night can never be without, somehow seems less ominous than the sun below it. The moon is indeed harmless, at least compared to the sun. After all, we have no need to trouble ourselves with the thought of the moon causing our planet and civilization to come to a crashing end: proving the point that the conventional, perceived evils, those which regularly expose themselves, are no match for the evil that hide in the shadows, that hide just beyond the corner of our eye.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:21 am
I liked the dark aesthetic of this collage, then I scrolled down and saw you as the author! I wonder what inspired you to explore this theme. I particularly liked the note that you ended on: that the real darkness/evil is less obvious than the casual things we fear. (The inclusion of the Soviet colonel, I think, is very appropriate in a collage that depicts evil) Very edgy and stylish, Greg!