Research

Allegory Of The Cave

"Socrates describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners. The Allegory is related to Plato's Theory of Forms according to which the "Forms" (or "Ideas"), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality.

Christian Boltanski - Theatre d'ombres

"Here in this exclusive new-media artwork Théâtre d’ombres, a theatrical, dance-like composition depicts nightmarish figures in shadowed silhouettes. As they dance across the walls, moving in and out of focus, they become evocative of devilish or skeleton-like characters from childhood brandishing spears and axes. This macabre imagery acts as a memento mori, reminding us of the transient nature of life and the inevitability of death."

Christian Boltanski's 'Théâtre d'ombres' from Rainstar Boutique on Vimeo.