Behind the Light

In literature and art, mirrors have been revered as instruments that reveal the truth or essential nature of things and beings, as a means of scrying or obliquely surveying, and as portals to parallel worlds. In some Asian theatre traditions, the mirror room is considered a sacred space, where the actor dons his mask and gazes into the mirror to become one with the character he is portraying. Behind the Light returns to the mirror an element of its magic, mystery and agency, by suggesting that behind its surface – which both receives and reflects our gaze – is another dimension beyond the everyday. It turns on the idea of ‘psychological mirroring’, where individuals form ideas about themselves by observing and learning from others, while simultaneously influencing others by projecting their selves and personalities. Behind the Light proposes an exchange between the two sides of a mirror, illuminating the relationships between self, surface, society and the spiritual world.