THE PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
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HANSELL GALLERY INAUGURAL EXHIBIT:
ILLUMINED by David Orr

ILLUMINED was on display from March 24th through September 16th, 2018

The artist donated The Private Instructions of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky which is on display in the PRS Bookstore. 
​

PRS is pleased to announce ILLUMINED, a brand new exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist and photographer 
David Orr, whose images are made from and inspired by our library's storied collection of rare texts and manuscripts.

For the ILLUMINED series David photographed spiritual, mystical, and philosophical texts—often one-of-a-kind, hand-printed and illuminated manuscripts—from our library’s private collection. After photographing a text, he recombines it, creating an abstracted, circular form that alludes to the worldview or mythology being represented. Each image becomes a balanced form, similar to a mandala, an idealized object of contemplation. The images are dye-infused into highly reflective aluminum discs, creating works of art that are as much objects as photographs.
 
“Worlds visible and invisible to us have been depicted in strikingly similar visuals over time,” says David, “the recurring form is always circular. Most often, these depictions possess a radial symmetry with repeated shapes emerging from a central point. You can see this arrangement in church and mosque ceilings meaning to represent the impossible order of the heavens; representations of the universe throughout time (the word cosmos itself means ‘order’); and in graphic depictions of particle motion, music, and sound—even the graphic symbol for chaos has order!”
 
Orr chose each text with an eye towards representing a range of disparate beliefs, from the sacred to the secular. The series includes recombinations of rare Alchemical and Theosophical manuscripts, hand-transcribed Buddhist Sūtras, and a first edition of Francis Bacon’s scientific work. “So many ideas and systems describe how the world works, and much of it can be thought of as a projection of our ideas onto the world,” Orr adds. “There are remarkable examples of ancient ideas proven correct by contemporary scientific study; Quantum Physics and Eastern thought, for example. These images mean to honor the ways in which we struggle to make sense of the world. Each image serves as a symbol and beacon of an ideal—sparks of thought in the dark.”


The Philosophical Research Society
3910 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.663.2167 
info [at] prs.org
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BOOKSTORE & HANSELL GALLERY:
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​THE PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY IS A LOS ANGELES-BASED, NONPROFIT CULTURAL INSTITUTION FOUNDED IN 1934 AS A REPOSITORY OF MULTICULTURAL WISDOM SOURCES AND A CENTER OF LEARNING WITH A UNIQUE LIBRARY CONTAINING OVER 30,000 RARE VOLUMES.  ITS HISTORIC LANDMARK BUILDINGS ARE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND PRESENT SEMINARS, CLASSES AND CONCERTS ON MYTHOLOGY, THE HUMANITIES AND METAPHYSICS.
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT PRS
    • Manly P. Hall >
      • Manly Hall, A Personal Perspective
    • PRS Board & Staff
    • Contributing Artists >
      • Guy Blakeslee
      • John Bucher
      • Sandra del Castillo
      • Devon Deimler
      • Edgar Fabian Frias
      • Mandy Kahn
      • Marina Pacowski
      • Stephen Reedy
      • Fahad Siadat
      • Eliza Swann
    • Press
    • Job Opportunities >
      • LIBRARY ASSISTANT (PT)
      • THEATRE & EVENTS MANAGER (PT)
  • COURSES
  • EVENTS
    • Past Events
  • EXHIBITIONS
    • Hansell Gallery
    • Some Secrets
    • Shadow Forms
    • Second Birth
    • Χάριτες (Graces)
  • Library
  • PRS Journal
    • Past Issues >
      • India
      • Winter Festivals
      • Water
      • The Veil
      • Harvest
      • Fire
      • Moon
      • Solar
      • Rebirth
    • Journal Subscribers >
      • Current Issue
      • Past Issues >
        • February - Saturn
        • January - India
        • December - Winter Festivals
        • November - Water
        • October - The Veil
        • September-Harvest
        • August - Fire
        • July - Moon
        • June - Solar
        • May - Rebirth
    • Journal Submissions
  • PRS ONLINE
    • New Videos
    • Speakers
    • Series
    • Subjects
    • Podcasts
    • Videos On Demand
  • Shop
    • New Arrivals
    • Best Sellers
    • PRS Merch
    • Books by Manly P. Hall >
      • The Secret Teachings
      • The Signature Editions
      • New Editions for Contemporary Seekers
      • Vintage Lecture Notes
      • MPH Essays
      • MPH Book SALE
      • Manly P. Hall Book Bundles
    • MPH Audio >
      • MPH Collection at BetterListen.com
    • MPH E-Books
    • Reprint Series curated by MPH
    • Books and Catalogs >
      • Dr. Obadiah Harris
    • Gifts & Curiosities >
      • Gift Cards
    • Tote Bags
    • Rare and Used Books
    • Symbolic Prints and Posters
    • Tarot, Oracle, and Affirmation Decks
    • Works of Art
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Shipping Update
  • Support
    • Volunteer
    • Roof Restoration Fundraiser
  • Rentals