Journey

In 2004 I was diagnosed with a challenging medical condition that might prove fatal if not treated quickly. During this event I saw my life flash before my eyes. I created this piece to illustrate that life, and where it may lead.

An ostrich egg attached to a rope initiates my life’s journey, representing both an umbilical cord and the upward path of my youth and young adulthood. The dangling legs represent my youthful boundless energy. They also recall the physicality of playing football in high school and my love of dancing. The rope then twists and turns, suggesting the winding paths my life has taken, and passes through a rusty chair, which symbolizes old age and senescence. The seat of the chair exhibits a shocking specter – an alligator with an open maw and horrific teeth. Death itself, and my brief encounter with it.

And yet the rope continues, soaring into the heavens, because I have hope. Both in Rabbinic and Kabbalistic texts there is the assertion that a spiritual heaven exists. If I am evaluated to be a righteous man, the “end of my rope” will end in heaven! To further life’s journey I conclude the piece with a golden horn bearing wings. In early Jewish Apocalyptic writings, Enoch, “who walked with God,” was transformed into the angel, Metaron. Could I not hope to become an angel?

Listen to Ed talk about this piece in a video