My work can be likened to the ancient tradition of alchemy that Carl. G. Jung defined as “the art of active imagination by the use of material elements”.
The alchemist devoted his life, his possessions and his mind to experimentation with matter. In trying to decode the real nature of the various substances he handled, he was also looking to understand the equally obscure language of his own dreams – and found himself working continuously in the dark. Naturally, as is often the case when confronted with the unknown, the unconscious imagination projects itself into images and archetypal characters. « The artist » therefore finds himself working on his dreams and the archetypal images in the great desire to discover part of the mystery.
Marie-Louise von Franz, Active Imagination and Alchemy, 1978.
For me, it all begins with a device providing a space that will serve as a support system for my imagination and meditation.
I use a large glass surface where I apply, mix and work with different materials: Indian ink, wax, earth, water, ash, sand, dust, pigment, charcoal, plaster, varnish, and at times blood…
This surface allows me to gain a filter, or screen, behind which I will create an installation using different lighting techniques.
With the help of meditation or introspection, I then let my imagination roam, allowing a vision, or interior dialogue to develop.
The studio as a whole thus turns into a camera obscura. A sort of blue print of the inner experience, where the image, the photographic result, is a recording, an imprint of a given moment of experimentation.
The curiosity leading human beings to experiment with matter has always had as its starting point the desire to discover something more about divinity, the divine mystery, the ultimate mystery of existence.
Marie-Louise von Franz, Active imagination and Alchemy, 1978.
Sylvain Doerler - Fine Arts 