I believe connection is the backbone of what makes us human. We make connections, form relationships, and gain purpose. The people we make connections with will be the ones who see us through hardship. Its the people we love that help us live on past death. Which is why I want to make work in my practice that makes those connections. Wether the connection is to the piece itself, a way of feeling less alone in the world, or a way to bridge those connetions between veiwers. I hope that these works can bring you more connected with what makes you feel like you belong or who makes you feel connected in this world. If not, then I hope you can find them someday. Thats all we can ever hope for.
The theme I’ve chosen for my projects this semester was Connection. Throughout the semester I’ve explored the different ways connection can be expressed through, video, sound and 3D models. Sometimes these representations were physical while others were more abstract. I wanted to press beyond the scientific reasons for connection by showing the emotions behind being connected to others. This concept has really been guiding my projects throughout my time at SJSU and most likely will continue outside it. Connection above all else will get us through any hardship or trial that life has to offer. Even ones as terrifying and global as a pandemic. The connections we have with loved ones, friends, and family are what get us through hardships. They keep us sane. This semesters theme has allowed me to explore what it means and how it feels to be connected. In the process of finding those ways of Connection I created three projects: a 3D model of a locket, a video with pictures and video from my life, and an audio piece. Each of these pieces represent a different meaning of the word connection. The physical, the emotional, and the realistic.
The 3D model is a symbol of connection that I’ve had in my own life, drawing inspiration from a locket that I have of my childhood best friend and I. Lockets tend to have a symbolic meaning, keeping a photo of a loved one close even if they couldn’t always be around. That model was a way of keeping that connection alive and making a model of it that would last forever. This model was a representation of the physical aspect of Connection.
The video I made was a much more emotional experience for me, looking back to all my videos and photos with the other people in my life. This video has no intended meaning or message but it’s just a way for me to be grounded and remember who is important to me and how I’m always going to be connected to them. This video is a representation of the emotional aspect of Connection.
Finally, the audio project was a way to recreate the feeling of being around others again. This pandemic situation had really pushed us all apart and made our lives completely different. So I recreated my old daily routine but in audio form. Recreating the sounds of campus and classrooms, even working on homework in the student union between classes. Getting that feeling back, reconnecting that feeling of being on campus. I’ll definitely miss it. This audio was a reprehension of the realistic aspect of Connection.
Each of these pieces and what they represent: the physical, emotional, and the realistic, are just a few of the many ways one can experience connection. I believe this is something I can continue to explore in my work going forward. After all, it is my mission as an artist to create shared experiences and ways to connect people; whether that be connections with the work itself or to others, is up to the viewer. I merely want to foster that connection going forward in my practice.
This entry was part of an assignment of my Art 107 Class. This class' goal was to take a single subject, mine being connection, and make three varying peices on that topic. These were meant to be smaller peices completed in a shorter time frame.