The Door Project
The Door Project is a collaborative work of art created by the Dharmic Engineers, a group of four artists, who have been working together collaboratively for the past fifteen years. It is their most recent collaborative project.
The Door Project, entitled the "Doorgan", consists of seven free standing doors. The seven (faux-rock) doors were created to represent the seven Chakras, or energy centers, which, according to many Eastern religious practices, are located along the spine of the human body. It is believed that through the practice of meditation these areas of energy can be stimulated to create a heightened sense of awareness and well being.
The Chakras can also be seen as metaphors for the stages of human development, both physically and spiritually. At different times in one's life, and similarly, during the development of human cultures, the individual and society exist in a mental state that reflects the qualities of the Chakras.
The first Chakra is located at the base of the spine and is representational of the most basic energy of life, that is "I am born" or "I exist". The second Chakra, located at the level of the sexual organs, is a representation of the procreative force and the symbol of sexuality. The third Chakra, located in the area of the stomach, is the metaphor for both power and the need to consume to remain alive. The fourth Chakra, found in the heart, is the symbol for awakened understanding and compassion for one's fellow beings. The fifth Chakra, found in the throat, is the symbol for communication and the ability to transfer to one's fellow beings the knowledge of compassion. The sixth Chakra, located in the center of the forehead, is the representation of wisdom and the awakened awareness of the divine. The seventh Chakra, floating immediately above the crown of the head, is the metaphor for both death and the transition to a higher form of consciousness.
While the Chakra principle is the main metaphor of the Doorgan, the work has many other allegorical aspects within its composition. A sort of overall perspective of the history of civilization is represented by the types of stonework which were chosen for each door. The first door is a fossil, suggesting prehistoric conditions. The second represents cave paintings and ancestral cultures. The third represents the construction of buildings and the formation of a culture. The fourth is marble and symbolizes a refinement of culture, a renaissance of the human condition. The fifth is pavement and concrete and shows a progression into the industrial age. The sixth is composed of (a) slate (particle accelerator) which represents a quantum understanding of reality juxtaposed with stones with represent the metaphysical knowledge of reality. The seventh is both stone and space which symbolizes the progression beyond the physical.
The Doorgan is also a symbol for a MesoAmerican tradition that the Dharmic Engineers have been involved with for the last ten years. It can be seen as a metaphor for the spine of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent of the Mayan and Aztec cultures, known as both the savior and destroyer of the human race. Quetzalcoatl existed in the Mayan-Aztec culture both as a god and as a human. He is credited for the creative and artistic energy of the human condition, and as founder of the artist-priest concept in Mayan-Aztec culture.
Even though Quetzalcoatl, in the form of the plumed serpent, appears frequently in the work, many other cultural symbols appear. Greek, Celtic, Egyptian and Native American symbols, just to name a few, are evident throughout the work. This was done in an effort to show the (inter)connectedness of humans in the theater of life.
The preceding information does much to form a basis for interpretation of the visual imagery in the Doorgan, but by no means attempts to completely interpret the work. Many other symbols and motifs are represented. For instance, in doors two, four and six, bicycling figures appear. They are represented in red, yellow and blue, the primary colors of the artists' palette, and are meant as an homage to the artist and the creative energy of the artistic process. This is just one of the many other symbols which can be found in close study of the Doorgan.
The Doorgan was also designed with an audible component. Each of the doors makes a sound when opened. The sounds created by the door can also be interpreted symbolically. However, as the sound created is produced through the use of cassette tapes, these sounds may be changed so that each use of the Doorgan could be accompanied by a completely different set of sounds. The first set of sounds used were individual tones assigned to each door that represented the specific tone associated with that door's corresponding Chakra. However, the sound could as easily have been simply a note in a scale, or poetry, or individually composed melodies, or people talking, etc. Since the sound can be changed, the symbolic meaning of the sounds would also change, and interpretation would vary depending on which set of cassettes is installed in the Doorgan.
During 1997, following completion of the Doorgan - and as per plan, the Dharmic Engineers showed the work in public spaces seven times. Several of these showings involved collaborations with poets, musicians, dancers and a filmmaker. Now it is planned for the Doors to tour through seven cities in the Americas before being located to their permanent home in the Mayalands of Mexico.
