I-Ching: Images in the Heavens, Patterns on the Earth - A collaborative project with Janet Russek
"Use this book to always see other sides and at the same time to always be able to see inside."
Soon after we first met, David shared his experiences in the use of the I Ching and wrote the above inscription in a copy he gave me as a gift. After teaching me how to use it, the Book of Changes became a companion to both of us and remains so to the present day.
We have consulted the I Ching for many of the major decisions in our lives, not as a last word or an authoritative answer, but for assistance in our decision-making process. The ancient Chinese wisdom is uncanny in its ability to enlighten a situation, challenging us to question, expand our perspectives, consider the impact of our decisions on those around us, and ponder our own lives in the past, present and future. The I Ching is an oracle, but for us it has also served as a friend, confidante, and wise counselor.
Attempting to understand its workings can be a great distraction. How does one explain the many mysteries encountered in life. We simply accept the fact that for each question we have asked, the I Ching has offered illumination, not in the sense of “yes or no” or “do this or do that” but rather along the lines of “why, how, and what if?”
Among the I Ching’s remarkable qualities is its capacity to speak universally through lyrical allegories of the natural and human worlds. Each person who reads its wise words will draw a different meaning. Likewise, in this book, we claim only to present our personal interpretations of the 64 hexagrams that have inspired these photographic images. We are neither scholars of the work nor authorities on its use. Our hope is that these visual companions will offer an additional metaphorical dimension to consultations with the I Ching.
Conceiving and compiling this volume represents a long and personal journey. The images in this book, taken between 1972 and 2003, provide a brief retrospective of our lives. They represent monumental decisions that confronted us as we have grown. When we began to edit the images we hoped each photograph would perfectly embody each hexagram. Just as the I Ching suggests many aspects of an issue, we know that there are other photographs that might have served. We finally selected images that we felt not only illuminate the hexagrams but simultaneously told a story about our lives with not a literal but an emotional truth.
David and I have collaborated in many areas -- as husband and wife, parents, business partners, and artists – and this book is the fruition of a dream, of the connection we feel to one another, sealed by a gift given more than 20 years ago.
Janet Russek and David Scheinbaum
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