Masked Identity

In Process:

Final:






Inspiration:



Artist Statement:
My mask is a representation of my past and my hope for the future. The color yellow is representative of  happiness and hope, and the purple is used for is complimentary properties. The prop I chose was the ladybug, which is representative of hope for the future. These symbols of hope link directly to the hope I had throughout my past that my future would be better. The mask was shaped like a bee keeper's hat, and the photos were made in nature because I wanted to maintain the nature related theme of the piece.  Nature also is representative of hope for the future because nature is in a constant state of renewal

On Longing

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale"

      - I chose this photo to represent the quote because of the difference in scale; people constantly use their body for scale and measurements without realizing it. It is only when we are put in a situation, such as the one in this photo of me in Disney, that we are shocked into noticing the difference in scale.
"Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience"

     - I chose this photo because it represents the authentic experience of my Great-Grandfathers 90th birthday, which was celebrated in December of last year. This is a trace of an authentic experience because not many people are able to celebrate their 90th birthday, and not many people my age can say they have grandparents still living, let alone a great-grandparent.
"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three dimensional into the miniature, that which can be enveloped by the body"


     - I chose these photos to represent this quote because when I took a trip to Disney this past summer, I wanted to have something to remember visiting the new Pandora land in Animal Kingdom. I chose to hold onto the small lotus light that was in the drink to keep, this item now represents the entirety of my time in Pandora, from the people I met, the sights I saw, and the fun I had.
"Nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss"

     - I chose to use this photo for the quote because it brings feelings of nostalgia to myself. Pictured in the photo is my best friend and neighbor from third and fourth grade, and I. Shortly after the summer this photo was taken, her and her family moved away to California, therefor causing the "loss" the quote speaks of.
"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess both a specimen and a trophy"

      - I chose this photo to represent this quote because it came from one of the stops on a cruise I took a few years ago. It is a specimen because it came from the Bahamas, but it is also a trophy because it is something that I value and put out on display in my room.

Touch

The first section I chose from the Touch chapter in Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of The Senses was Hair. The hair on the human body plays an important role in protecting us from outside elements, such as the hair on our heads protecting our brains from the heat and UV rays from the sun. Hair also serves as a way for people to express themselves, various styles, cuts, and colors tell people about us with a single glance. The way we wear our hair tells people things about our personality, and the types of things we enjoy, sometimes as much so as the people we surround ourselves with. For this I chose to do a photo shoot of a friends hair. Her hair is covered in personality traits written on paper to show how a persons appearance through something as simple as hair can show a personality.

For the second selection from the Touch chapter, I chose Tattoos. Tattoos hold a slight paradox behind them, going through pain for the sake of beauty. People get tattoos done, even with the knowledge of the pain that comes with them for a number of reasons. Some people get them done in memory of a loved one, or a passed pet, others get them done because they see their body as a canvas in need of art, while others yet, get them done for many other reasons that go unlisted. People will only purposefully go through the pain of a tattoo if they see it as being worth it, and a simple walk down the street can show a person how many people see this as worth it. I chose to do a photo shoot of drawn on "tattoo" to show the simplicity and meaning behind the works of art littering many peoples bodies.