Movement, 2018
gouache, felt pen, aluminum foil on stretched canvas
This piece was created in response to the Parsons Challenge deliverable that all students had to submit in their application for Parsons School of Design.
My first step was to decide the theme that would form the foundation for this new piece. Since dance has largely contributed to my creative development, I felt I should honor it taking a slightly unusual approach that would intrigue viewers. My intent was to transform a realistic image - from a video of myself dancing - into an abstract one. I have always been fascinated by abstract art: its ambiguity, its myriad interpretations, and its unique emotional quality - often provoking perplexity, amazement, and delight in viewers. The approach I took is similar to that of the painter Nicolas De Stael, who known for his abstract landscape paintings. In his work, he expertly blends two worlds: seemingly arbitrary concoctions of lines and shapes that somehow clearly represent reality.
To begin, I selected screenshots from a dance I performed in the video entitled Tessellate which I set in an industrial Chicago-style building. I chose snapshots where my body was in an interesting shape - sometimes mid-movement - to attempt to capture this very idea of movement. I then outlined these images onto tracing paper. Since there is no visible view through the windows composing the scene, I experimented by drawing different backgrounds in each until I decided on the iconic elevated L train that Chicago is known for. It adds a level of visual appeal that helps to frame - metaphorically and literally - my attraction to the city I call home. Next, I projected the traced image onto a whiteboard using a projector, which allowed me to trace the final sketch onto a large canvas; at this point, I was ready to paint and transform this realist image.
I did not have a clear idea in mind of how I wanted it the final image to emerge. But that was the idea. I had a vague vision, an effect: some silvers, blacks, and grays as the main palette, some texture sprinkled here and there, haphazard lines. I wanted to elicit the precise energy of dance. Thus, I placed the canvas on a flat surface, so I could hover over and move around it. I certainly took inspiration from Jackson Pollock’s very engaged method of painting. Then, I put music on and let the cool rhythm guide my paintbrush.
This process was done over several weeks in order to allow my feelings to evolve. It is akin to learning choreography: you start with the technique, the distinct shapes and steps, and as you learn, you incorporate the energy and emotion; the result effectively fuses “realist” moves with abstract feelings.
I am aware my choice of somber color is unusual, but there is a point. Instead of working in continuity with the habitual warm and occasional cold colors I employ, I deviated. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, something I need to do more of. However, by portraying the theme of dance and the city – conceptually – the piece pursues the flow of my work.
Finally, by utilizing different brushes and alternating between swift motions and succinct strokes, the piece translates the elusiveness of dance, when you simply let your body move. The piece reflects the abstract, unclear movements of my mind.
