Mentor: John Heymans

External reviewer: Avigail Moss

Enschede, 2009

ABSTRACT

The following work seeks to explore the notions of duality and mirroring through taking as a starting point the ancient Greek character of Narcissus. Besides this central theme, the work is concentrated upon concepts of the gaze and ideas of emptiness, as a potential transcendental space, explored through the works and achievements of various thinkers such as Jacques Lacan, Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault, Slavoj Zizek, and Shirley Sugerman.
Throughout this thesis I will apply the above notions through the works of the artistic duo L.A. Raeven. Highlighting upon concepts such as Self (image) and the Double. The work will also be accompanied by an interview with L.A. Raeven that I realized in January 2009 with the hope of revealing a deeper insight and understanding into these concepts and writings.