Search - CoSM the Movie - Alex Grey and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors on DVD

A Tour of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in NYC

Janet Boyer | Pennsylvania | 02/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

""The Sacred Mirrors are a journey through our physical, socio-political, and spiritual anatomy." - Alex Grey

The internal architecture of the human skeleton, viscera, blood vessels, nerves, the subtle energetic system of the body--all are fodder for the trippy visions of artist Alex Grey. "My life is committed to making artwork that wakes people up to the miracle of Life", the artist once said, and a group a friends and supporters sought to make a sacred space of contemplation dedicated to the Sacred Mirrors series and Grey's other works--the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM).

Although Grey felt a natural setting to be the ideal location of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, CoSM resides in NYC where life-sized and super-sized portraits and sculptures convey Grey's unique perspective on consciousness and the web of life.

A documentary set inside the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, the CoSM DVD gives viewers a tour of the "multi-dimensional perspective painted visions of common human experiences" such as birth, death, kissing, copulating, and praying. Sculptures such as World Soul--a bronze sculpture depicting a multi-faced winged guardian atop a globe--are also included in the DVD.

The soft-spoken Grey barely touches on media and method, rather addressing the larger spiritual and socio-political themes represented in his work. It would seem that hallucinogenic drugs have inspired a large portion of his work. For example, he says that a "high-dose LSD experience" inspired Theologue--a painting where Grey attempted to capture the essence of how humanity creates this elaborate illusion known as "reality".

Indeed, Grey credits his wife, Allyson, with inspiring the Sacred Mirror series. When first describing how he met his wife--and some of his artistic visions--Grey shares: "I met my wife while tripping on LSD...and we continued to sacramentally ingest the hallucinogenic host to learn from these experiences. On one of these adventures, while lying in bed listening to music, I became a ball of light..."

For some reason, Allyson isn't interviewed in this 80 minute DVD, although one of her fantastic geometric paintings was on display (I can't be sure, but I *believe* it was Jewel Net of Indra--I don't recall them saying the name on the DVD, but I think it's the same painting shown in the book Transfigurations). In my opinion, it was one of the most arresting images show in this documentary!

In the CoSM DVD, Alex Grey comes across as a thoughtful and compassionate man with his head screwed on straight. Frankly, I was surprised, especially after viewing some of the dark, gruesome, and disturbing (to me) images found in his earlier work and depicted in the book Transfiguration (not to mention his frequent use and praise of DMT, pot, and LSD.)

While the documentarian put a lot of hard work into this DVD (as evidenced in the extras), I was disappointed that Grey didn't share much on the media he used with the various Sacred Mirrors paintings. (However, I looked up the paintings in Transfigurations and found mention of this kind of minutia.) For example, I found out from Transfigurations that the head of the bronze sculpture World Soul was filled with "sacred substances" (i.e. drugs), religious symbols, prayers, Native American maize, hair snippets and other items before it was sealed and consecrated. None of this was mentioned in the DVD for some reason.

The CoSM DVD is a gentle introduction to the X-ray visions, philosophy, and transcendent art of Alex Grey. If you're already a fan--and have books like Transfiguration--you may not find much new here (other than Grey's soft-spoken demeanor). If you have the Sacred Mirrors Cards but would like to know more on Grey's method and perspectives, you'll likely enjoy the CoSM DVD and perhaps even Transfigurations.

You can visit CoSM online at CoSM.org for more information.

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)"

Artist ahead of his time

J. Forst | Farmington Hills, Michigan United States | 11/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This dvd takes you on a personal tour of grey's own museum/workshop/education center ...whatever you'd like to call it. Alex has been kind enough to offer his talents to children, beginners, laymans and anyone else at his Chapel of Sacred Mirrors structure in New York. He is simply revolutionary, mystic, inspired, and detailer of all things cosmic, spiritual and metapysical. What I think i enjoyed most by the end of this dvd was that his art is enlightening and uplifting giving you a spiritual feeling all the while being non-denominational. I was (and still am) a big Salvador Dali fan but after discovering AG my attention has been drawn to him. Amazon has had a killer price on his book boxed set and I highly suggest getting that as a companion piece to this dvd. also - die hard TOOL fans will be pleased to view AG artwork in its full glory on this dvd."

A Personal Tour

N. Heyming | Southern California | 05/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I watched this with my parents, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Its like you're walking through the Chapel with Alex as your guide. He gives you the backstory of all his paintings, and says in his own words what motivated him to make them.

Its really impressive listening to him speak about these paintings. When you see his artwork, you can't help but realize that he's not just an incredibly intelligent and scientifically knowledgeable person, but he's also intensely spiritual. Then, to hear him SPEAK as clearly and deeply as he paints, you realize that you're dealing with someone who has inherited, and is passing on, a sum total of knowledge and wisdom the likes of which has been impossible up until now.

No other artist is able to convey so many different but related themes so densely in his work and words."

Extraordinary journey

Bernardo A. Merizalde | Pennsylvania | 10/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an absolutely mind blowing experience with phenomenal audio, visuals, and narrative. I bought it just becuase I like Alex Grey's art; what I found is an extraordinary exploration and discovery of vast proportions, from the physical to the metaphysical, from the base human passions and proclivities, to the richness of creative living. It is truly a trascendent experience, which Alex guides your through."