
While horror films manipulate our feelings of isolation or fear of the uncanny and the supernatural, the cultish following of mythical monsters such as Bigfoot or Loch Ness point less to a culture of fear and more to a culture of faith. Those who follow cryptozoology (the study of unknown animals) insist that creatures exist which we have yet to "discover." Not unlike religious debate, cryptozoology culture raises questions of belief and faith, prompting us to take a stand.
Miller postulates that Bigfoot is a metaphor for the natural human desire for mystery and the unknown. In an age that is hallmarked by scientific investigation, Western societies are occupied with the desire to know everything, such as determining how to stop the aging process, or defining which compounds comprise the surface of Mars. Scientific instruments are finely tuned to both our macro and microcosms. Carl Jung explains in Psychology and the Occult that despite the age of materialism and rationalistic enlightenment in Western societies, intense scientific and public interest in ESP, spirits, and invisible forces flourish. Scientific inquiry, in a pure academic approach, does not refute the unknown, but opens doors to pursuing it. Artist Jill Miller is interested in peeling back the layers of fear, irony, and pop culture that surround Bigfoot and creating a space that will generate larger questions of belief and inquiry.
  
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