Calm, Interrupted
March — April 2021
This project is an iterative exploration into the feeling of calmness. I created this project in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-vaccine, at a time when I was suffering from depression, grief, and frustration with screen-based learning. I set out to use art-making as a means to rediscover a sense of calmness with my situation and experience, and capture that for a digital audience.
Iteration One
The intent for my first iteration was to make every part of the process invoke a sense of calmness within myself. I played guitar; I played on a swingset; I pet horses; I drank milk. I used video and audio to document these activities, and used projection mapping into a glass of milk as an attempt to convey this emotion to my digital audience.
Iteration Two
As I begun my second iteration, I reflected on how it felt to create the first piece. I realized that the sense of calmness had been lost when I focused on translating this experience for my audience, and I decided to run with that. I decided to explore the feeling of being pulled out of a state of calm, or peaking into someone else’s calm state.