Gregor's Room

Professional Photo:

The Abyss of Madness

A visual response to the short story 

Materials: white copy paper, ink

Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 inches

Additional Images:

Artist Statement:

The sculpture collection reflects my perception of the short story The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Within this story, there were countless references towards pain, isolation, and imprisonment. All of which contribute to the overarching idea of being condemned to a space that once provided comfort. The protagonist, Gregor, is seen as a weak individual who is incapable of standing up for himself. This unfortunately is his ultimate demise as he is confined to his bedroom, where he slowly sinks into insanity. Due to this, little to no color was incorporated within the piece. The dark, almost eerie appearance of the furniture was to emphasize no escape, the subtle hints of brown suggest decay. Gregor is represented as an abstract form as a means to suggest he is nothing - a worthless suggestion of space. 

Process Photos:

Figurative Bust

Bust#1

Professional Images:

 interior disaster 

Materials: air-dry clay, beeswax, hot glue, foam

Dimensions: 5.5 x 7 x 5.5 inches

Artist Statement:

For interior disaster, I wanted to touch upon the inner workings of the human psyche. Within today's society, stress and anxiety has become more prevalent and affects our minds in the most negative of ways. I personally suffer from anxiety so wanted to convey what I am feeling during the school semester. So when viewing the sculpture, half of the brain, almost alien figure is clean, with the other half almost "melting" away. This depicts the two fronts we as student have to put on - looking presentable but are truly overwhelmed on the inside. The goal was to have an unsettling piece to look at, it's not supposed to bring comfort but to make the audience feel uneasy.

Research:

As stated earlier, stress/anxiety is endangering the minds of many students (myself being included) but it effects all of us in different ways. Harvard's Health Blog has an article discussing "what we know and how to cope", as there truly is no "cure" for this condition. We generally forget to "breathe" as we are constantly working all the time, it often feels like there's no time for breaks. So the best way to ensure we don't lose control is to just embrace the situations head-on.

Process Photos:

Bust #2

Professional Photos:

REMINDER - this clay sculpture broke so we agreed in progress photos would suffice

Title: not the coffee!

materials: air-dry clay, wood, paint,

Dimensions: n/a

Artist Statement:

Since my first bust was on the abstract side, I made sure to follow the same style for not the coffee! This also is applicable to students as we have an unhealthy amount of caffeine consumption which is essentially detrimental. But this problem stems much further than this, but extends to nature as well. As much as we all love coffee, it is detrimental to the environment in which we live in. Within this piece, the audience is viewing a half broken mug with coffee beans and the other half with tree bark to covey this idea of a painful type of beauty. The block that the bust sits upon is in the shape of a coffee bean with a wavy texture in the background which could indicate flames or destruction, it's up to the viewer to decide.

Research:

Prior to starting this project, I had no idea of the consequences of producing coffee. Everyone's favorite beverage leads to deforestation  which directly impacts the environment in the uttermost negative way. So as the article says, it's indeed "a bitter brew." Due to this it has an effect on other plants and thus limiting the biodiversity within the particular habitats that the coffee plants inhabit. Many "scientists in Finland are trying to come up with a sustainable, lab-grown alternative for the next cup of coffee — but the technology for producing it is still very costly." There is essentially no process in place to stop this problem as coffee consumption is high all around the world. However, small actions are being started which will inevitable allow for a positive turn of events.

Process Photos:

Masking Tape Shoes

Professional Photos:

  

Detailed Photos:

In Progress Photos:

Dinner & a Movie

Roses anyone? 
Inspired by the movie, Edward Scissorhands (1990)

The photograph conveys emotions of discomfort and uncertainty. The purpose of having the dying roses as the centerpiece is to represent an innocence that has yet to truly fade. The older style tray and the modern blue scissors were incorporated to provide a sense of style contrast, that elements from different time periods are still able to work together cohesively; some things will never vanish. The scissors and skewers were laid out to be slightly askew in order to have the "creepy" factor. Almost a surgical appearance, as the protagonist, Edward, was merely an invention. All of the sharp objects imply that those are the utensils/essential tools, there is nothing else in sight. The knives in the upper right hand corner contribute to the idea of isolation; being forced to fend for yourself. Having the background being dirt/mulch contributes to the overall unsettling theme of the piece. It could be interpreted as returning to the roots of a cause or even a burial of sorts - it's up to the viewer to decide. 

100 Objects

100 Objects

100 lollipops in a tire

100 lollipops in a dryer

100 lollipops in an office

Touch Response

 

Touch Response

Beauty = Painful Aesthetics 

Newspaper, magazine, cardstock

12x12 inches

“We spend our lives trying to about it, and from one point of view, what we call “happiness” may be just the absence of pain.” 
    -A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, page 104

Statement:

    This immediately reminded me of the fashion/beauty world, as so many people will go to great lengths to essentially be a “fake” person. Major corporations have a firm hold on what the vast majority of the population believe to be trendy/cool. However, when you don’t put so much pressure into being “perfect” you will truly be happy (the point of the cartoon characters).

Darkness

Edited Photography with Digital Art 

1600 x 1600 pixels

“…but to be without touch is to move through a blurred, deadened world, in which you could lose a leg and not know it, burn your hand without feeling, and lose track of where you stop and the featureless day begins” (82).

    -A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, page 82

Statement:
A world without touch is one that would be dark, dull, and ever so lonely. Having no true sense of anything that is happening is a life in which no one should ever have to live in. A featureless existence would result in ultimate dismal, everything would be drained of color and essentially lifeless. Numbness is just a meaningless void of existence. Inevitable, darkness is humankind's largest fear.

Elements & Principles

 Elements & Principles 

Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal Line 

Jason Yi, artist 

Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal Line 
Personal Photo