Plato's Vision

Plato is believed to be the first person to articulate the 'emission theory' of vision. This theory proposed that the eyes projected rays of light, illuminating objects in front of them. At that time the belief was that the world was composed of four elements; fire, air, earth, and water. It was believed that Aphrodite made the human eye out of the four elements and that she lit the fire in the eye which shone out from the eye, making sight possible. This concept of 'eye fire' has informed the creation of this work and others in a series of images, which celebrate and explore vision itself.