TRANSCENDENT EXPLORATIONS
A collaborative artwork created by Outpsyd and Mueo
Transcendent Explorations of the depicted image.
The scene depicted in the artwork is based on the mythological journey of Demeter into the underworld on her search for her missing daughter, Persephone. The central character’s positioning is based on Sergel’s 18th century sculpture of Ceres, in which she holds a pair of torches while surrounded by serpents.
Through the myth, the Goddesses create the seasons on earth, as the fertility goddess descends underground for a third of the year. Her return to the surface marks the arrival of spring. This cycle of life, death and rebirth was a central focus of many ancient fertility cults.
The Campbellian monomythic story arc of the journey to the underworld and the transcendent discovery found within is central to the imagery of this artwork. It depicts a process of transformation, overcoming adversity, and an outward representation of an inward journey.
Transcendent Explorations as a metaphor for the collaborative process.
A successful collaborative process is greater than the sum of its parts.
The interest in collaboration emerged from extensive text based chat about mutual interests in the intersecting niches of art genres they inhabit.
With a mutual interest in mythology and spirit, the artists found a referential starting point to express the possibility of transcendence. Through the creative process, the artists found a transcendence of physicality: their quasi – antipodal locations ceased to be a limitation. The monumental work that created an interconnected world allowed this collaborative artwork to be possible. Standing on the shoulders of giants, the metaverse materialized a process of communication and creation that helped manifest an artwork that represents transcendence.
So meta.
The video is a 1080×1920 x 10 second seamless loop, intended for display on a portrait format screen.