Self-Portrait Artist
Statement
The Unwaking Dream is a writing piece
that serves as an exploration into my struggle with the many sides of myself
and a culmination of my style at the point in time it was written. Opening with
the narrator waking in a diner, where he soon realizes things are not quite real,
and he begins to see doppelgangers that represent various aspects of himself. Using
a variety of inspirations, I chose to write this story to express, in what I
hope is a thought-provoking way, not only my capabilities as a creative writer
currently, but also my identity as I feel right now.
Throughout
the Imagery, Identity, and Culture
course, we have explored various themes of identity and examples of how other
artists have chosen to express themselves. The artists that have stuck most in
my mind are Wendy Red Star and Kambui Olujimi. Their works were on what I think
two sides of a very different spectrum. While Red Stars’ works were quite
straightforward about her identity and subject matter, Olujimi’s were presented
through mythology and fictional means. Both had a similar quality of relating
to their personal and ancestral cultures. This is a quality that I have
rejected to include in my work, as I do not feel that the culture of my family
is an aspect identify with, outside of perhaps a few close relationships.
While I am
a video production major, I consider myself an artist in various mediums.
Primarily photography and writing. The concepts presented in The Unwaking Dream are similar to a
recent photography piece I completed. A black and white image of myself, with
my face divided into 4 parts by color splashed lines, titled Fractured. A lot of my work tends to
relate to the idea of myself or someone split into various parts, typically
into separate characters.
There were
three main influences in this piece that I held in mind as I wrote, as they
felt perfect for the tone I was going for. The first one being Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by
Lewis Caroll. The madness of the world presented in the stories was something I
wanted to bleed through, and the smiling and grinning is meant to reflect not
only that but also the words of the Cheshire Cat. Second, the works of H.P.
Lovecraft and the ideas of the human psyche being broken down by extraordinary
circumstance and powers beyond our comprehension. Lastly, the films by Jordan
Peele, specifically Get Out and Us. The metaphysical and mysterious
concepts presented in these thrillers are something that has inspired and
motivated me to not stray away from vague, possibly confusing themes for the
sake of reaching a wider audience.
Attached is the writing piece itself.
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