Up (light), Down (heavy) is the latest installment of works by Fred Jesser that further denotes his ongoing exploration of visual and literary juxtapositions of language and image. With this body, the artist has created the first chapter of a story that acts as a fable. Up (light), Down (heavy) is essentially a story of many stories that brings to light the experiences and observations of a boy named Billy.

There are lessons learned, questions asked and statements made which become shared, common experiences with the viewer. Most can relate to the things Billy has learned. Much like a fable, these tales are told with animal characters (and sometimes personified objects) being somehow involved wherein the characters act either as manifestations of Billy’s character or the antagonist who intends to disrupt Billy’s status quo. Fortunately Billy learns valuable lessons from all of the characters, no matter what their purpose.

Aside from Billy, there are four additional main characters within this story: the bird, the cloud, the lamb (which is sometimes a goat), and the storage shelf. Other character elements include various hybrid creatures and the target.