E.D.E.N. PRESENTS
THE EYES OF GOD
EYES OF GOD
physical prints, digital design
EYES OF GOD is a narrative exhibit told in parallel with the release of Neon Prayers’ album: “ICARUS & THE EYES OF GOD” to continue the exploration of introspection, ego, mind, body, and soul connection. It features curated works and installations exploring the ideas of ego and the human experience.
GREEN LIGHT Icarus finds himself on top of mountains with wings he built spread wide. Fog envelops Icarus, so much so that he can not see past his home land. A man outside of society, without nation, and without an identity, Icarus dedicated his life to utilize his mind and body to progress humanity as an inventor, creator, and thinker. He would dedicate his energy to help people who would wander past his home land in need of help. Icarus would wonder where these people would come from and go. With his wings, he created the ability to fly high above the Earth to aid his search. Icarus takes flight attempting to see how far his wings will take him and what he will find. He sees the world below and sees the people as small as ants. Even miles above the Earth with wings spread wide, he can not help but wonder about his place in the world. Icarus sees that even with a great intelligence and physical prowess, humans fit a small role within the grand scheme of the Cosmos. Icarus returns from his flight and decides to find the purpose humanity was destined for. He seeks to find reflections of his mind and body in the constructs of the world to see how he can understand his humanity in a world bent on progressing past the human limits. He stands atop the mountain once more, gazing out to the sprawling cities below. Past the dark fogs of the mountain tops, he sees a green light break through from the cities, beckoning him to the understanding of humanity he seeks.
VIRTUES Icarus travels to these cities, with the green light in mind, to seek humanity and explore the environments it creates for itself. Icarus finds himself in the rush of the city, using material possessions, technological advancements, and mental alterations to give him insight into the form of his mind and others in hopes to share these findings to the world. Despite all the exploration, he finds himself teetering on an invisible edge of any discoveries, unable to break through and find an answer to his questions of the fundamental needs of humanity. A barrier so overwhelming, Icarus struggles to see through the cloudiness. A cloudiness that hides an answer he can feel yet can not find a way to materialize. Icarus chases his ideals, emotions, and virtues. He does so relentlessly at his own expense. Icarus finds himself creating, working, and disciplining himself into a mold of his idealistic views in order to come to the truth. The truth of who he is sits beneath the surface like a lake with its deepest secrets dwelling below. He feels a sense of loss as his reasoning, emotions, and intelligence begin to fail him. He is torn inside between the fragmented parts of his soul looking for the truth to keep him together.
FEEL A WAY In an attempt to recapture the essence of life, Icarus dives into his hedonistic escapes. He leaves his work behind and continues to run as fast as he can to chase the life he feels fleeting out of him. He leaves all his questions and wonders aside in place of the hallucinations his desires manifest for him.
2 SPIRITS An endless dive into the hedonistic cycle leaves Icarus exhausted with less gained than he had anticipated. Void of fulfillment, Icarus enters a forest to try to find the energy he once knew that pushed him to explore the world and realize his own reality. In the quiet realm of this forest, he feels conflicting forces within him. He can sense himself being pulled between 2 different directions. He cannot perceive what is pulling him but it guides him to find solace in his own silence.
ICARUS Within this journey inside the forest, Icarus stumbles upon a lake. The lake is calm. Not a single ripple breaks the steady surface of the lake. He decides to feel the water on his skin and so he enters the lake to swim. The water on his skin is cold and soft. He begins to feel an overwhelming sensation bubble inside him. The feeling begins to blur his vision and freeze his muscles. His vision suddenly becomes boundless. His awareness expands to the entire cosmos. Every reality exists within his perception.
EYES OF GOD Within this lake, Icarus comes to an understanding of the power it holds. The deeper he swims, the stronger this new found power grows. The cathartic release of understanding feeds a craving deep inside himself that he could never articulate. He realizes his new ability to manipulate reality with the powers of the lake. He frantically swims deeper to see more of what this lake can offer him. With his back turned to the sky, the lake closes up above him and swallows him whole, trapping Icarus in this dark abyss of his making. The only exploration now is within the consciousness of Icarus himself.
