Patrick, and the place we once played as boys is a series of unresolved pieces that I began in 2010. This body of work is based on research and experiences discussed in a 30 page thesis paper written during my final semester at graduate school. This paper covers the themes of mythology and masculinity as they pertain to a set of personal experiences surrounding my time as an American summer camp counsellor. The work is concerned with specific myths that were created within this hormonally sex crazed community of adolescent boys.

An exert from my journal reads:

"The "Jizz Target" existed on all three bathroom stalls within the Club. When one sat down to do their business within the fraternal order, they would find themselves staring directly at a hand-drawn target with the words "Jizz Target" written above it. To the side there was a set of handwritten instructions for its use. No one really knows who created the Jizz Target; however, it is clearly respected and of the utmost importance because it had been carefully retraced over the years. Surrounding the Jizz Target there existed other writings, many of which had faded over time and others that had been covered over with new marks and writings. The Jizz Target, though, was unscathed. As a community, the kids had deemed it important. While no one knew who the mysterious person of its creation was, everyone respected him. In a way, his drawings made him legendary. He had become the subject of myth."

Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth, 1988) writes that myth mirrors the set of values of a given community at a given time. It is a reflection of the collective consciousness. Myth, however, does not write itself. Campbell says that this is the job of the poet or seer - to take the material of the collective consciousness and to mold it into a story that individuals can relate to. I created Patrick three years ago while working with and living amongst a group of adolescent boys at an American Summer Camp. He is a fictional character meant to embody the lofty ideals of these kids within this specific camp environment. Patrick began as nothing more than an inside joke - he came into existence one evening while I marked the walls of the cabin with stories of his many exploits. Over the course of the summer, what began as an inside joke developed into something more. The boys took ownership of Patrick. He was widely popular - not only had he become the subject of many everyday conversations, the kids had also begun to mold his character by creating their own stories. Had Patrick become the subject of myth? Was I playing the role of poet and seer?

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