Senior Show Extravaganza!

So it’s finally here. Show Two of the Senior Thesis Exhibit opens tomorrow. I am both excited and exhausted! I can’t believe how much effort everyone has put into their work, but it definitely shows. Most (read: ALL) of my exhibit had to be executed during installation so it has been a busy weekend. I am thrilled at how it is turning out however and I am super excited to see how everyone else reacts to it. Below is a picture of my installation and my artist statement. Enjoy!

 

Over the past four years I have been in the process of discovering where I fit in the design world, where design fits in the art world, and where the art world fits into existence, if at all.

As a child I was always drawn to art as a form of communication. I immediately connected with it as a way to represent an idea, an experience, a concept, a feeling, a thought. This has stayed with me and come to form my perspective about art today. I believe it deserves to be more than something to look at.

I have most recently been infatuated by simply experiencing things and conceptualizing how the ephemeral fits into those experiences. The nature of the ephemeral is what makes it beautiful. The impermanence creates a precious quality. Knowing that this exactness will only be in existence one time, I connect to its mortality.

This project has been a way for me to translate this larger concept into a specific form. For me the idea of value has always been an ephemeral notion. What or who determines value? Why and how does it change? Things are classified as valuable, held in regard, then deemed invaluable and are eventually discarded.

I decided to explore all of these thoughts by examining my personal consumption and spending. I saved every receipt from every purchase for six months. As these receipts grew they became a form in and of themselves. Each one a collection from a moment in time. Some of them representing responsibility and necessity, others desire and gratification, and all of them representing parts of one greater whole.

The immediate consumption or acquirement is eventually replaced by uninterest and discarded, expressed by the floating and eventual falling of the balloons. By creating an experience instead of an object, this project has been able to more accurately represent the relationships between all of these ideas. It is ever-changing and impermanent, eventually transforming itself out of existence.

Work…and golf…kind of

I love the company I work for because they care about their employees and are always looking for ways to improve morale and reward hard work. We have several events throughout the year for employees and their families. One of these events is the annual golf invitational. This is a fun event where everyone from work can relax and truly enjoy eachother’s company while participating in a little friendly competition. Most of the employees look forward to it each spring and this year is no different.

One of the best parts about the tournament is that every year the designers are charged with the task of developing artwork for the t-shirts. This year I was able to design all of the art and was very excited to do so. For the past few years we had a look that everyone really seemed to like and it was requested that we keep it this year as well. With a few suggestions/requests from everyone I got to work. Keeping the same look, I came up with a color palette based on the color choices they suggested. I then went on to design a “logo” for the front of the shirt as well as any other collateral that may be printed on hats, banners, etc. After completing the front design, I translated the artwork into a larger format for the back. I kept with the same design and worked with it to develop a larger design and to include the date of the tournament. Below is the front and the back of the shirt which everyone was very pleased with.