For Carl Gustav Jung, the renowned Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology, the shadow is the diametrical opposite of the conscious self, the ego. The shadow represents everything that the conscious person does not wish to acknowledge within themselves.

For example, if you think of yourself as a kind and generous person, your shadow is unkind and greedy. The shadow is not necessarily good or bad. It simply counterbalances some of the one-sided dimensions of our personality. Jung emphasized the importance of being aware of shadow material and incorporating it into conscious awareness. Otherwise, we project these attributes onto others.

Artist Adam Frank's recent art installation, Shadow, takes this entire project quite literally. It creates an environment where the viewer confronts an autonomous shadow. The video is as humorous as it is spooky. The practice of bringing your shadow into your own conscious awareness might not prove as playful as Frank's installation, but perhaps this piece of art can at least illuminate your technique.

[ via Pruned ]