"my Self is the Art is": An Art Installation Exploring Self-Reflection in Art-making

Author(s)

Alexis RubertinoFollow

Abstract

This is an art-installation which explores the following question: How does self-reflection play a role in art-making, particularly involving tacit artist-viewer communication?

I consider the self to be the recognition of a sum of experiences which constitute a sense of being: the self is experiential baggage that actively shapes the way one experiences the world. Artists must analyze their self and assume the viewer’s self to fulfill the intention of their art.

Art, loosely defined, points at or interacts with life and living – artists gather materials (visuals, ideas, audios, objects, etc.) and combine them to provide juxtapositions which create this experience. The artist looks critically at their relationship with these juxtapositions in order to anticipate what potential connections and experiences they might create for a viewer.

This installation explores this reflective, self-conscientious part of art-making and art-experiencing. Viewers are encouraged to sit down at the table, read the books, and watch the video; this participatory element is essential for the act of participation to become a prop of the work. As the piece is non-immersive viewers are susceptible to being watched: bystanders can see viewers as part of the piece, and thus viewing (participating) becomes part of the understanding of the piece.

Department

School of Art

Major

Art – BFA in Three-Dimensional Studies

First Advisor

Leigh-Ann Pahapill

First Advisor Department

School of Art

Second Advisor

Theresa Williams

Second Advisor Department

English

Publication Date

Spring 5-5-2020

Repository Citation

Rubertino, Alexis, ""my Self is the Art is": An Art Installation Exploring Self-Reflection in Art-making" (2020). Honors Projects. 550.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/550