In Peak to Pyramids my hope was to articulate a theme of globalism. As someone who is constantly connected to the internet I was able to recognize the rising tide of nationalism on imageboards such as Reddit, and 4Chan, and message boards. To me the fact that a lot of the world is increasingly nationalistic, I set out to utilize symbols that would combat this xenophobic energy. 

The four-legged, winged creature taking up a large majority of the sky section in the first image is The Griffin. The Griffin interests me as its mythical origins date back to ancient Egypt, wherein they are a symbol of strength, but over time the Griffin has become a symbol representing several global areas. Having the wings of an Eagle, but the body of a Lion makes the Griffin the ultimate symbol of strength and protection in Egyptian myths and Christian iconography. It is also mythologized that the gold deposits of Central Asia were laid by Griffins. This universality of The Griffin interests me as a way to connect the dots between histories and mythologies of the world. I complemented The Griffin with 3D versions of gold pyramids, my ideal of what the pyramids would look like during their prime, contrasting the decayed versions in Michael Warr’s photograph which make up the foreground.

Two additional images feature a collage of the Bayview Shipyard creating the background for Michael’s foreground image. The idea behind these came from conversations Michael and I had wherein he came up with the concept of placing the shipyard in the background behind the pyramids. With this, we hoped to reflect on Michael’s early years as a Bayview native who matured into a global traveler. It is my personal belief that for communities where many never make it out to see the greater world, it is important to reflect on those who do and the uniqueness of their journey.

The final image features a glitched sky pattern that I created around the time we started working on these edits. This pattern reflects on the ideas of digital decay, matching the ruined pyramids surrounding Michael Warr. In this sense, I hope to show that the digital realm is controlled by the same laws that dominate the physical world, though it may manifest itself in different terms. The sort-of “crashing” of the sky is also an ominous warning of where things would go over the next few years regarding globalists.

(This series of images was inspired by Michael's image taken in Egypt. Many of us that are a part of the African Diaspora never visit our ancestral homeland, especially those of us who grow up in exploited communities such as The Bayview-Hunter's Point. It is my belief that once you consider yourself a part of a certain community you carry that with you wherever you go.)

See the Blog post Call and Response for background.