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The surreal images of Michael Hasted may at first baffle the viewer. Each image is a visual metaphor for some aspect of human behavior.
In "Main Attraction" Hasted creates a theatrical setting and then focuses attention on the scenery, which we normally regard as having little importance except as "window dressing" for the play. In Hasted's world the scenery -- symbolic of nature and the stars -- occupies center stage, as if to remind us that the things truly worth looking at are the ones we take for granted.
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"A Point of Honor" is a variation of the familiar story about the man who "cuts off his nose to spite his face." In Hasted's view, you can plant a seed where it doesn't belong, and you may even get it to grow (within confined limits), but don't expect it to bear fruit. A deed accomplished simply as a matter of principle is often a hollow victory.
In "A Public Outcry" Hasted pokes funs at the artist who hides behind his work. But the artist is a symbol for anyone afraid to face responsibility for his actions.
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