Frames, 2021
We are always constrained by frames of different kinds - symbolic, real, physical, imagined. There are the immediate frames, the ones that directly impact our behavior, that form the foundation of our daily lives and according to which we subscribe, often unconsciously. But underneath that first frame, or after, there are other more nuanced frames. Frames of thought, frames of details, frames of values. Those that frame the minutiae of our existence.
I am not bound by just one frame.
This photographic series, entitled Frames, tries to illustrate the various layers of frames in our lives. There is the frame of the camera, the one that forms a clear rectangular vertical box and which encapsulates the content of the image. The pictures are themselves framed by a seemingly infinite void of white space. Something to remind us of our infinitesimal place within the universe. Then there is the frame formed by the architecture of the bathroom. The layout and organization of bathroom appliances - the shower, the toilet, the sink, the faucet - create a unique space. And then there is the frame I create for myself. An imagined frame, one I have put up unconsciously, as a form of protection perhaps.
Perhaps not. This I do not know. Which is why I have left one of the frames empty. Because I do not know everything.
The imagined frame I create for myself consists of a set of limitations - including judgments - born out of fear of the other. That watchful eye, that judging eye.
It becomes clear that too many frames is not just confusing, but inhibiting. It can cause distress, pain, sadness. However, frames are also a necessary part of life. After all, creativity cannot be tamed without constraints. Counterintuitively, it is often with the presence of constraints, that the creative is actually able to, well, create. And not just to create but to thrive. Paradoxically, with constraints the creative frees themself from the pressure that comes from facing the daunting vastness that is Creativity. From the sight of its endless landscape of possibilities.
It is with (these) constraints that I move. Or try to move, to the best of my abilities.
You see that some constraints are imposed, not chosen. Others are, but not consciously. While others again are intentional. Like the choice of music - which I have purposefully left out in order to focus on the interaction between my body and the space.
Through dance, I ponder and evaluate the theme of space, specifically with regards to how it has been affected by the pandemic. I no longer have access to studio space to dance more freely. I have not taken a live dance class since early March of last year. I live in an apartment. All of these factors have influenced the way I relate to space. As a dancer, it has been difficult because I simply do not have much space. But I have found ways to continue to nurture my love and passion for the art form as it is something I cannot live without. I dance alone in my bedroom, in the living room when no one is around, and, inevitably in my bathroom. Where else?
So while constraints can be uncomfortable, burdening, sometimes anxiety inducing, they are also engines of creativity, filled with possibility, exploration, and novelty. I never would have thought that I would or could dance in my bathroom as a way to express myself - artistically (not the silly dancing one does in the shower). But here I am, one year into a pandemic and I have discovered the joy of solo dancing in odd places. I have uncovered a new relationship to space, and through this a new relationship with myself.
