I thought I would share what my fall research proposal looks like so far for thesis. Thank you guys so much for the critique yesterday, I have a much better idea of what I want to focus on for the next year. Look below and find out! Any opinions or suggestions would be great! Also please let me know if you are willing to participate.
Since my sophomore year at DAAP, I have always considered myself an artist and a psychologist. Maybe it is because my family has a history of psychological disorders, ranging from anxiety, depression, addiction, and compulsion, or maybe it is because I believe that every one has some sort of “disorder” inflicting them. I chose to pursue psychology in my work when my younger sister was suffering from a tragic eating disorder, causing terrible unrest and pain in my family for long period of time. I started asking questions like “How can I get through to her?” and “What is going on inside that head?” That is when I started making work about her, starting with portraiture and moving to an installation entitled What Happens When the Mind Takes Over the Body. It was meant to provide the viewer with an experiential look into the mind of an anxious young woman, suffering from a dark, deadly disease.
Image from When the Mind Takes Over the Body
That was when I realized that I wanted to make art that was experiential and tangible, that I wanted my viewer to interact with the piece in a different way than just looking at it on a wall. That is when the psychology of sensation and perception started appearing in my work. I am realizing now, as I am entering my last year in college, that I can marry these two interests into an incredible series that focuses on the viewer’s interaction with the piece. I want the viewer to be able to experience the piece tangibly and I also want the viewer to be part of the piece themselves. I’m realizing that even though I thought I was alone when I was dealing with the repercussions of my sister’s illness, I wasn’t at all. Every person has their own “disorder”, their own loved one who is in trouble, their own story to tell. I want to tell those stories, to inform my conceptual findings with real experiences, with real people. I want the viewer to find something in these pieces that directly relates to them, that is talking about them.
My techniques and methods for achieving this are multi-faceted. I want to begin by researching and collecting data. This will include interviewing many people, collecting items from them, and recording them in some way. This may take the form of photography, drawing or audio. After each interview, I will design and produce an artist’s book about that person. Even though the presence of that person will be within the book, the book will not contain clear representations of that person. It may seek to illustrate whatever concept we discussed during the interview. I hope to see each interview as an opportunity to inform my concepts and conclusion.
I know I need to delve deeper into what my concepts specifically are so far…which I have written about before, but right now I don’t know if I want to be clear about what I’m looking for. I think I will know it when I start conducting interviews. I think that it will find me.
Alex McClay 