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Homunculus by Moses Brown
A sensory homunculus is a model used by neuroscientists to depict the way in which different parts of our bodies are mapped onto the cortex depending on sensitivity. The model traditionally has enormous lips and fingers and a tiny torso. Moses Brown’s red Homunculus has a similarly distorted physiology that suggests something massive behind its eyeless stare.
The Homunculus sits on a ledge while his fingers, toes, and prominent proboscis droop toward the ground and melt off the pinkish base. At first glance the figure resembles a monster, but upon a closer look reveals a very human hunched back and a quiet air of waiting for something. It is a state of man close to that of animal, one that we experience in fever dreams.
Brown’s instructors describe him as intensely independent, working from no source images. An accomplished artist, he works proficiently in many mediums, from drawing to ceramics. He is well-traveled and much of his work references imagery from different cultures. In contrast, Homunculus is a more psychological piece.
Homunculus is a totem for those who work with their hands, chopping wood or molding clay. It is an artifact left over from our mythopoeic days when the bicameral mind observed the world keenly instead of indulging in introspection. It is as if someone, maybe itself, has told the Homunculus to wait and observe, or pray, if you prefer. And so it waits and observes, stretching its fingers and beak toward the wet earth.
Written by Creativity Explored volunteer Jayinee Basu. Stay tuned for more of Jayinee's submissions. In the meantime, check out her style blog Visual Input or her poetry blog Thickness and Touch.
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