Myths are gateways to the universe. Held and retold from time immemorial, they recount the hows and whys of creation and through their ancient stories provide guidance along life’s uncertain course.

Seeking to influence natural and supernatural forces, explore the mysteries of life and death, and be at one with the rhythms of nature, people create ritual objects to focus the power of myth. Such objects can energize the psyche and stir the soul with wonder.

While mythic objects serve the same ends from one society to the next, they do so in differentiated, unique ways. Their variety echoes the boundless creative capacity of human minds—minds which may be separated by oceans, languages, world views, or centuries. Because of this separation, the mythic artifacts of one culture may appear strange, incomprehensible or disturbing to members of another.

Yet these objects may be pregnant with meaning and hauntingly familiar to societies separated by time and space. Archetypal themes can strike compelling chords of recognition as recurring aesthetic motifs and timeless symbols cross cultural boundaries.

These photographs explore the relationship of the human artifact to the cosmos and the play between familiar and alien impressions. As an artistic response to the power of mythic objects, they convey an underlying message: people everywhere seek order and meaning as they follow life’s roads and dream the world’s dreams - Corson Hirschfeld