distorted pixels
The idea of identity within virtual reality is a development that most people are starting to embrace, along with the vast possibilities of having an Internet presence. These new identities form with our adaptation to technological instruments that help construct a cyber-domain where people can socialize. I am interested in the notion that some people have developed an unsettling sense of identity within the digital age even though this virtual reality is artificially derived.
This series explores the relationship between digital identity and the space that it encompasses. The prints aim to recreate a three-dimensional structure out of an artificial source. Cyber identity and artificial space are two themes that helped to inspire new interactions between the audience and the subject matter. Creating paper-folds within some prints allows the viewer to observe the work from various perspectives to observe the transformation. At the same time, other images are encrypted with scannable QR codes. Thus, enabling the images to undergo both a physical and digital distortion to transcend virtual reality into actuality.
hairitage
Hairitage explores the relationship between racial heritage and social constructs. With themes as diverse as African Diaspora and pseudoscience, I created a series of monotypes, lithographs, and silk-aquatints derived from implied and emotional encounters that I’ve experienced in the United States. I chose to use hair as a metaphor to illustrate certain racial stigmas that exist within the African American community.
As a young black kid growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, I was accustomed to having my hair treated in various styles and forms throughout the black community. As time went on, I realized the various social interactions that stemmed from hair treatment due to the context and style of one's hair. To illustrate how this process became such a unique ritual within societal practices, I chose to make prints of actual and synthetic hair. I decided to arrange various strands of hair in a way that would create a dialogue for the viewer to interpret, while also referencing family photographs as a way to examine my own heritage.
