(2003 - 2005)
In 2003, Wesley Usher moved to New York City to attend graduate school in psychology at New York University. During her last year she pursued an independent study that focused on the way we tell stories and how that impacts the emergence of the Self. The result was a self-narrative paradigm that she named the Scheherazade Model.
Scheherazade is the Persian storyteller from The Arabian Nights. She is known for her famous spiral of nested stories which she told over a period of 1001 nights. By telling her stories she not only saved her own life, but she transformed the heart of a kingdom. "Life as Myth", Usher. Collected writings (2002 - )
Usher’s model emphasizes intrinsic values, a form of meaning making that focuses on the importance of community and harmony. There is an emphasis on relationships in the model — relationships with each other, with our selves, with the planet.
Following graduation Usher took her narrative philosophy into her clinical and private creative practice. Her portfolio and work reflect its influence.
Usher, Wesley. “Manhattan skyline.” Brooklyn, New York, 2016.
(2006 - )
In 2006 Wesley Usher launched a web site, Life as Myth, and began experimenting with her narrative philosophy within the literary and visual arts.
Life as Myth has informed her later projects as Usher continues to explore applications of her narrative model across online platforms and with other creative media (e.g., music, photography, film).
Life as Myth remains online at www.lifeasmyth.com.
Usher, Wesley. “Self-portrait of the artist.” Decatur, Georgia, 2020.
(2007 - 2010)
The female character in the Greek myth of Cassandra and Apollo inspired the name. In that story Cassandra receives the gift of prophecy from Apollo in exchange for her promise to sleep with him. She receives the gift but refuses to keep her promise. Apollo curses her for her refusal by spitting on her tongue. Under the spell of this curse, Cassandra retains the gift of foresight but no one ever heeds what she says.
"Life as myth", Usher. Collected writings (2002 - )
Cassandra Code is an extension of the research and writing for Usher’s Scheherazade Model and the first of four related creative works, collectively called the Riddlespeak Project.
Cassandra Code is a lexicon that documents language patterns and categories found in multiple sources, including the raw access logs and creative materials for Life as Myth.
Note: In the lexicon of Cassandra Code, “luna moth” is the most dominant linguistic unit.
Luna Moth (actias luna), R. P. Nodder, drawn from nature. 1815. Smithsonian Library. In the public domain.
(2010 - 2012)
Cambridge Key is the second of four related creative works, collectively called the Riddlespeak Project.
Here Usher documents geographic units and behaviors found in the internet traffic (IP addresses) on Life as Myth. With the introduction of cryptograms, or visual riddles, Usher represents the ways that IP addresses are meaningfully related to each other and to the vocabulary in Cassandra Code.
The name for this project refers to two key locations — two Cambridges: the one in Massachusetts and the one in the United Kingdom. Sources for the project include raw access logs and creative materials found in Life as Myth, as well as creative materials from the Cassandra Code.
Pictures Kept by Supt. L. S. Bonnin: Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency: Federal Grand Jury, Deadwood, South Dakota. Photographer unknown. 1920-23. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. In the public domain.
Grand Jury cryptogram. Usher (2012). From the Cambridge Key cryptogram series.
(2012 - 2015)
2012. I was in Dublin, standing at an intersection near Temple Bar. I'd almost gone to Montana but, in the end, I didn’t. On a whim, I purchased a deep-discount travel package to Dublin and that’s where it happened.
"Studio: Riddlespeak", Usher. Collected writings (2002 - )
Usher’s third creative arts project is The story of e (2012), inspired by footprints in a Dublin sidewalk and the significance of the letter 'e' throughout her two earlier language projects (Cassandra Code and Cambridge Key).
The two earlier works identified patterns and behaviors in data. The story of e takes this a step further by bridging those patterns and behaviors. The result is The story of e, a multi-disciplinary creative work that introduces a story about the relationships between technology, language, machines and humans.
Usher, Wesley. “Dublin footprints.” Dublin, Ireland, 2012.
(2015 - 2022)
The Riddlespeak Project gives form to the perils and possibilities found within the Internet's global community. Is the intelligence of the Internet much more than the sum of its machines? What is this new alternate reality, this cyber world that now interfaces with our terrestial one? Riddlespeak explores this brave new world through questions and riddles, through technology and imagination, through the story of one woman and her relationship with a machine.
"Studio: Riddlespeak", Usher. Collected writings (2002 - )
Riddlespeak is the fourth and final creative work of the series, collectively called the Riddlespeak Project. Here Usher summarizes her discoveries and then tells the story of how the project came into being.
Sources for the project include raw access logs and creative materials found in Life as Myth. Usher also incorporates contemporary news reporting, public records, social media content across multiple platforms and her original photography, film, artwork and music.
Usher, Wesley. “The Rose Umbrella.” Brooklyn, New York, 2016.
(2020 - 2023)
The Moonbear Museum is a narrative project which originated on Instagram in 2020 . This curated collection of film, photography, artwork and creative writing tells a story that blurs traditional rules of language and communication.
The completed series is currently available online (@moonbearmuseum).
Spinner in a Carolina cotton mill, Lewis W. Hine. 1908. Princeton University Art Museum. Photographed while on assignment for the Child Labor Committee. In the public domain.
Lewis Hine (1874-1940), an American photographer, used photography as a tool for social change. His photography of child workers was instrumental in the eventual enactment of child labor laws.
(2020 - )
When da Vinci is a Woman is the newest extension of Usher’s research and work for the Scheherazade Project. The focus is on illuminating intellectual and creative ‘genius’ in women.
When da Vinci is a woman, i (2020). Acrylic paint, ink, charcoal and graphite on canvas. 24 x 24 in / 61 x 61 cm.
