Erin MacAirt – Macrocosmic
An image is a story that invites the viewer to create and imagine their own narrative. I like to think that when a viewer looks at my work they are in fact creating within the drawn landscape their own myth. And of course, there’s the idea that collectively we all have an understanding whether conscious or unconscious of the symbolism in Myth.
The archetype of the wise old trees, the dark forest, the unpredictable unknown depth of the ocean, the pathways and crossroads, the rocks, and the caves returning us to the light after meditative contemplation. They’re all symbols of our journeys of self-discovery of our relationships with the world. So whilst I hope the viewers are making their own connections and stories from my art, there is also a deeper element at work which often I am not even aware of.
People have said that the images I create scare them, I think perhaps it taps into a fear or anxiety akin to the traditional fairy tales that challenge the reader to journey deeper. But the landscape of Myth are not fantasy, nor fairyland. Myth resonates deep within our inherited memories.
The understanding of myth from a Psychoanalytic perspective has many benefits in understanding our emotions and our place within the world. The archetypal characters and symbolism often found in the stories of myths can be extremely useful because the messages they convey are as relevant today as they ever have been. They are fantastical remarkable stories with a potent/ relatable message, with themes of our fears and anxieties, anger, sadness, joy, love, death and birth.
Erin Macairt
