dreams and nightmares - no. 80

the attempted annihilation of id - immolation

At long last the nightmare is at an end.  Freed from the primal instincts that shackle us to our mortal coil we can sleep safe in the knowledge id has been slain.

Or can we .... ?

dreams and nightmares - no. 79

the attempted annihilation of id - hung out to dry

The original image of id has become progressively degraded during the process of annihilation. Thankfully we're approaching the end now.

dreams and nightmares - no. 78

the attempted annihilation of id - monochrome drowning

In many ways I prefer these studies to the colour versions. What do you think?

dreams and nightmares - no. 77

the attempted annihilation of id - the drowned man

Having survived cremation and hanging, the id is now immersed in water.

The photo above is the last of a series of shots I took, by which time the image printed on the paper had taken on a suitably necrotic appearance. I love the swirl of water in the top right hand corner and the bubbles that mark the last gasps of air.

The photos below show the remainder of the process and the steady leaching of colour as the image slowly degrades.

dreams and nightmares - no. 76

the attempted annihilation of id - monochrome hanging

Dark ... and darker still.

 

dreams and nightmares - no. 75

the attempted annihilation of id - hanging

Should cremation fail then more drastic action may be required. The next step to the destruction of id is hanging,

dreams and nightmares - no. 74

multi-annihilation

Of course, when threatened the id may fight back. It may therefore be necessary to undertake several iterations of its annihilation.

dreams and nightmares - no. 73

the attempted annihilation of id - cremation

Whilst the theories of Freud are no longer in fashion, I remember as a young boy reading a fascinating primer on the id, ego and super-ego.

This series of photographs focuses on the id, the primitive and instinctual part of the mind which contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. In it we find the eternal conflict between two competing instincts - eros (sex/life) and thanatos (aggression/death).

In the struggle to overcome these disturbing possibilities we may find many ways to attempt the annihilation of id. This is the first, cremation.