SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2022

A single eye which is made to observe everything will still not be able to see itself without a mirror. And, even then, there is a problem: the eye can only see the mirror which has its reflection, but not itself. The object of observation needs to be at the other end of the observation. Then, is there really a way for us to perceive our own identity without seeing it?

I argue in this collection of essays that the self seeks to define an external source as the other to foster a dichotomy through which it enables itself to perceive its own identity. To this end, the action of observation of the other informs the notion of perception of self’s identity. In discussing different ways through which the other is made into other, I first provide the philosophical background of my claim mainly via the myth of Cronus devouring his children. Then, I discuss a special case in which the other is made into an enemy to present the self as good. In the third essay, I review how the other is used to form a model identity that is celebrated by communities. Then, I review how other can be discerned in art and language. Finally, I talk about how the self can observe itself, making its own reflection into other that is external of itself. Throughout all five essays, I argue that the other is perceived as an externality, allowing the self to develop a comparative tool.