The "Modern Times" project included several pieces highlighting the number 7. The "Communication model Babel" depicted 7
levels in the long, complicated process of conveying, clarifying and understanding meaning. "Maslow's headstand", an
inverted pyramid, represented ever increasing personal demands at all 7 levels of what psychologist Abraham Maslow
identified as a hierarchy of humans' physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. "The 7th chakra - the right to know that
we don't know" showed Buddhism's 7 chakras, or energy centers, in rainbow colors representing unappreciated but essential
aspects of wholeness.
While those pieces had special meaning related to the "Modern Times" theme, they also sparked my desire to research number 7.
I was amazed by how many facts and beliefs about that number have shaped people's perceptions, psyches and actions - and even
influenced entire societies. In ancient Babylon, for instance, beliefs about the seven 'holy planets' (those visible with the
the naked eye) guided people's everyday lives, and aspects of those beliefs eventually spread into Western civilizations. Many
stories in the Torah, the Quran, and the Bible are based on the number 7, as with heavens, hells, archangels, and the 7 days
in the Genesis.
The inspiration for developing the '7' project was the understanding that most things in life are based on common roots.