Abstract

In order to produce work that prompts the viewer to undergo a process of personal exploration resulting in discourse and the understanding of feelings, it is necessary to balance ideals and realities, combine experience and creativity, and blend concepts and materials. Ideals and realities are discussed in this paper, using an approach that concentrates on foundational principles. The ideals of morality, beauty, goodness, acceptance, and unity form a foundation for the motivation behind my work. They are described in relationship to the philosophy of aesthetics. Ideals are contrasted with realities of life which have patterns and rhythms. These repetitive patterns bring experience and predictability, which can give us peace of mind and comfort. Predictability needs to be balanced with creativity, so that life remains interesting and challenging, and so that we can handle the unexpected. There is a natural tension when combining ideals and realities, experience and creativity. Alleviating that tension in my work necessitates working cognitively as well as using the skill of my hands — blending concepts and materials. The balance and tension between ideals and realities, concepts and materials, is discussed in connection with my first installation, Matter Out of Place (2002), and my final project, Perennial (2005). By using principles as a foundation for my work, and incorporating a combination of experience and creativity, concepts and materials, I hope to successfully convey meaning to viewers in a manner that will cause discourse and reflection.

Degree

MFA

College and Department

Fine Arts and Communications; Visual Arts

Rights

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