Axis Mundi

"Axis Mundi"

2006

Pile rug technique

96cm x 51cm

Linen, wool, bamboo, bone

“ In many cases the center is conceived as an axis (axis mundi) extending vertically to the pole star and downward to some pivotal point in the abyss. Iconographically, it may be represented as a mountain, a stairway or ladder, a pole or very commonly a tree…” Joseph Campbell, The Mythic Image p. 190.

Axis Mundi is a work of personal mythology. While the concept of a tree as the pivotal point around which the universe turns is common among many cultures, like most archetypes, what one sees in it depends upon the person who is doing the looking. For me, it is the oak that stands steadfast and strong, the hazel from which the seeds of inspiration fall, the ash that forms the World Tree on which Odin hung to gain the wisdom of the runes.

Above and below, the roots and branches tangle, many paths to the Celestial realms and to the Underworld, which cross and re-cross each other, too convoluted to follow clearly along their entire length. In the middle is a hazy, indistinct tree, dream-like and perhaps ominous, but just as possibly calming. It is a place of mystery and refuge, a doorway to other worlds.

This piece was shown in the Capilano College Grad Student Art Show at the Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, BC, May 9-June 4, 2006.