Honors Projects

Abstract

Seeking Solace: Regret, Grief, Anxiety is a triptych video and artifact piece inspired by the abstract analysis of my dreams. It recognizes worries held within my subconscious and brings them to life through graphic design, photography, and video. The process of creating provides a new perspective of looking at both art and occupational therapy as methods of solving emotional distress.

I have recorded over 80 of my dreams in the past year. In these dreams, regret, grief, and anxiety are common themes. These themes are represented in three triptychs that cycle through past, present, and future problems. The cycling of the triptychs simulates the dream cycles one’s brain undergoes during sleep. Corresponding artifacts invite the viewer to interact with this creative healing process.

Regret responds to dreams about the struggles with past human relationships. Light serves as a dual symbol expressing both confrontation and forgiveness. The book served as a performative artifact that encouraged me to convert my negative memories into positive experiences.

Grief responds to dreams about the loss of a loved one in the present. Through rediscovery and repurposing of past items, it encouraged me to focus on the history and memory of the individual and helped me find comfort in these items.

Anxiety responds to dreams about the fear of future events. It utilizes repetition and disorder to describe that I am not fully in control of the future. The balance serves as a visual representation of weighing priorities to find emotional equilibrium.

Presenting these personal works in a public setting created a sense of honesty and vulnerability between me and the audience. Physical artifacts encouraged the audience to engage and interact with this therapeutic process.

The creation of this body of work was a successful tool of solving emotional distresses due to its repetitive, focused, and expressive nature. Working with previously unexplored media encouraged me to solve problems in new ways. This creative process reduced the amount of bad dreams regarding past regret and present grief. Although helping me cope throughout the process, the works responding to anxiety did not fight off bad dreams as effectively because these events have yet to occur in real life.

View video of installation here: https://vimeo.com/160315563

Department

School of Art

Major

Art – BFA in Graphic Design

First Advisor

Amy Fidler

First Advisor Department

School of Art

Second Advisor

Heather Elliott-Famularo

Second Advisor Department

School of Art

Publication Date

Spring 3-19-2016

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