WHERE DID EVILUTION COME FROM?

"Samuel Butler once said that no one heard the Devil's side of any story, because God wrote all the books."

I've often wondered about that. In art school, a large portion of the historical works you study are religiously based, mainly due to the intricate ties between Church and State and the power the Church exerted over the heads of state and their subjects. Being a metalsmith and sculptor, and having a background in architecture, some of the most inspiring works for me were either commissioned by or for the Church. Over the years, I managed to pick up a lot on religious history through the art that inspired me. Not being very religious myself, and trying to figure out what and where my particular beliefs and spirituality fit in, I started reading about different religions. I didn't really find anything that totally fit, but I did find a wealth of stories and legends that were gorgeously visual for me and that I somehow related to, in one way or another, through what I have experienced in my limited time on this planet.

Evilution is the story of Lucifer's fall from Grace and the subsequent evolution of a separate evil force. There are seven different versions of this fall, but I chose this particular Sufi version because it was the one legend that I related to the most. It is really about loneliness, and being separated from love, a very human emotion. I felt that most people, at some point in their life, have felt this sort of loneliness, as I have. Furthermore, this legend fit into my desire to find a story to tell that would mesh with the artistic styles and talents of my circle of friends. That, and it coincidentally fit into the Halloween season, so it seemed the natural choice. It is not so much a religious piece as it is a spiritual one. All of the artists involved in this production have, in one way or another, been exploring their own spirituality through their artwork. Evilution has become the perfect vehicle to blend and express our collective thoughts and beliefs.