Origin[Redux] by Joaquin Palting In Los Angeles, just past the facade of the Hollywood sign, and at the ends of endless freeways, exists a world of wildness. If you have the right perspective you will find it hidden in plain sight. Here, in parks and open spaces within the city limits, we can seek respite from the constraints and pressures of our self imposed domestication. These moments allow us to reawaken our primitiveness, to dream, and to indulge in fantasy.

As noted by Sigmund Freud in his, Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis:

“...in the activity of fantasy human beings continue to enjoy the freedom from external compulsion which they have long since renounced in reality. They have contrived to alternate between remaining an animal of pleasure and being once more a creature of reason. Indeed, they cannot subsist on the scanty satisfaction which they can extort from reality... The creation of the mental realm of fantasy finds a perfect parallel in the establishment of “reservations” or “nature reserves” in places where the requirements of agriculture, communications and industry threaten to bring about changes in the original face of the earth which will quickly make it unrecognizable. A nature reserve preserves its original state which everywhere else has been sacrificed to necessity. Everything, including what is useless and even what is noxious, can grow and proliferate there as it pleases. The mental realm of fantasy is just such a reservation withdrawn from the reality principle.” 

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Joaquín Palting is a visual artist based in Los Angeles, California. He is known foremost for his conceptual storytelling, which is often created using traditional large format photography and video. His work has been exhibited internationally, and has appeared in numerous esteemed publications including: The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Joaquín’s work has also been featured on the websites of many contemporary photography tastemakers such as: Aperture, Float Magazine, Landscape Stories, Lens Culture, LenScratch, and Urbanautica. In addition to his art practice Joaquín is a much sought after educator who teaches photography, and art, at many venues including: The University of California, Irvine, the LACP (Los Angeles Center of Photography), the Laguna Art Museum, and Angel’s Gate Cultural Center. Joaquín holds an MFA in Studio Art from the University of California, Irvine, and he is presently pursing a PhD in Philosophy, Art & Critical Thought at The European Graduate School.