Senior BFA Installation
This recent body of work has been a response to some newly formed health issues and the personal growth that has emerged in overcoming them. A diagnosis is Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes with neuropathy and Fibromyalgia changed my life completely. When presented with these life altering health conditions I was forced to seek alternative methods for my healing. This is when I discovered Traditional Chinese Medicine in the form of acupuncture.
This body of work is an installation of sections of three life-size figures that combine clay and print with text and imagery. These figures represent and are created from three of the five elements associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): wood, earth and metal. As humans, we have a natural connection to nature and this body of work represents the way our body connects and reacts to our natural environment.
In TCM, each organ is associated with a specific element and has characteristics governing the way our body reacts to our environment according to factors such as: time of day, season of the year, specific food, color and so on. Meridians are energy channels that run through the body accordingly for each element. These meridians are invisible lines that carry energy to every organ and system in correspondence to a particular element. The practice of acupuncture is inserting needles at certain points along these meridians to encourage energy flow and relieve the symptoms accompanied by the imbalance.
My work incorporates layering of media, meaning and material, representing the way our life shapes who we are. Life’s harsh times will never subside completely; it is how we react and learn from these situations that determine whether it destroys or inspires us.
