Walking Into Darkness: The role of the "Shadow" in Art

"No one has ever written or painted or sculpted or composed a piece of music except to get out of hell."          -Antonin Artaud

The cloud of darkness cast by individual and collective madness can be seen and experienced as a projection onto every level of contemporary society. When viewed from this perspective — as a prevailing cultural condition:the term 'madness' can no longer be simply consigned to that category of disturbed individuals who bear the stigmata of a psychologically diagnosed illness.

In his book, "The Politics of Experience", psychiatrist R.D. Laing presents a chilling profile of what constitutes the so-called "normal" man in our society:

"In the society of men the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are so ugly if seen in the light of exiled truth and beauty is almost no longer possible if it is not a lie. Given the conditions of contemporary civilization, how can one claim the 'normal' man is sane? The condition of alienation, of being asleep, of being unconscious, of being out of one's mind is the condition of 'normal' man."

The Role of Art in Accessing the "Shadow"
Cultural conditioning has successfully buried or disowned the unconscious as representing a vital part of our perception, our experience, our very being. In our society where the cultural icons of the intellect, technology and materialism reign supreme (each having its roots in the conscious mind), the unconscious is perceived as a dark, unknown, fearful region. Because of this perception, creative expression which has its source in the unconscious has suffered on both the individual and collective level. Creativity is an inborn, essential energy that is necessary for the survival of our physical, emotional and spirituality. We are born with the instinct to create and yet, in our culture, this instinct is left to shrivel and die. A vital part of our education--not only for artists but for all who are alive-'is the integration of our conscious awareness with our unconscious--opening up channels for intuitive, symbolic expression'

The "Shadow" is an extension of our unconscious which represents our hidden, unexpressed potential--that potential energy which fuels our creative gifts. The "Shadow" speaks in symbolic language--a language that bypasses the spoken word; a language that is primal, chaotic and uncompromising! Symbolic language challenges the cultural bias toward the intellect, and its need to explain, analyze, dissect, and control.

"The gesture that divides madness from reason constitutes itself a form of madness because this act of separation cuts across the essential unity of Man. At present there is no common language between the sane and the mad. Exchange has broken down and the language of psychiatry, which is a monologue ofreason about madness, has been established on the basis of such a silence."
- The Age of Reason by Michael Foucalt

If the artist has a healthy, ongoing relationship with his "Shadow', his work will challenge the prevailing morals, truths, definitions and icons that embody the cultural machine. He gives up conscious control and is willing to venture into unfamiliar territory. He recognizes the necessity to listen to interior forms of guidance instead of voices from the outside world.

"For the function of art, when it is effective, is to give us a chance to break with old habits and loose the shackles of "reasonable" social behavior, the better to retreat down dark passageways and rejoin the part of ourselves which moves toward us with a savage laugh."    -The Outsider by Roger Cardinal

If creativity is an essential ingredient for healing body, mind and spirit then acknowledgement of the "shadow" as part of the equation for healing must be considered. It is ironic that so many people are ready to explore far-off , foreign lands--even outer space. Yet when faced with the opportunity, perhaps the necessity of 'exploring' our inner regions, our "inner space" (a space as vast as our universe) this 'journey' is dismissed, forgotten, denied. It would seem that to acknowledge and understand the totality of our being our task will be to light a candle in that darkness.

-Tom Wolver, Artist