LAFFOLEY, Paul (b. 1935 Cambridge, MA d. 2015 Boston, MA)
The Levitation of the Urban Fossicated Octave
1967
Acrylic, Ink, and hand set vinyl lettering on canvas
52 x 52 in. / 132.1 x 132.1 cm.
Subject: The Source of all that is Esoteric
Comments: The word fossick means to search for gold or gemstones, typically by picking over abandoned mines or workings. Every culture, philosophy or religion is based on the thought that somehow we (the human race) have been forsaken and that we still have the possibility of finding the path back home if we look again for clues in places that others have ignored or are not so brightly lit. An urban octave is the harmonious secret group of limited number that conducts that actual search. The image of the flying saucer is that of the alien that comes to help us out of our natural alien state.
Laffoley was always fascinated with the prospect of flying saucers and other life possibilities. Paul made references to the influence of the renowed hermetist G.I. Gurdjieff (1873-1949) who he met while attending a Taliesin Winter Camp when he was 21. He absorbed his writings on “dream architecture” and continued to follow reports of “sightings” on late night radio. Laffoley also followed the creation of Robert Wise’s UFO themed film “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, and discovered that Frank Lloyd Wright was the designer of the classic flying saucer profile: The soliton wave or curve of normal distribution. The image of the interior of the ship was “lifted” right out of the Johnson Wax Company Administrative Headquarters he was working on since 1936. Wise creates the characters modeled on Mikola Tesla (1859-1943) and Leon Theremin (1896-1993). Seeing the release of the Film in 1951, he embraces the study of architecture so he can design flying saucers. He frequently mentioned that he had seen the film over 873 times during his lifetime.
Forthcoming Show
Paul Laffoley: The Luminous Mind opening November 21
Questions regarding the Artist’s Estate
