Visual Arts
Fearsssssssss
This is a sketch I made in a challenge to create an evocative mixed media piece in 2 hours. It is a remark on the nature of fear, the three objects it showcases , being the snake, the skull and the gun all represent the denaturing of our emotions in the modern age.
The snake represents the immediate danger of the body that is found in nature. It is the only one of these objects, that is dangerous on its own, while the other two are inanimate objects, the snake is a real animal that could take one’s life.
The skull represents the beginning of the disconnection from nature and another. Fear of corpses is innate to human beings, but that is not because they directly harm us, but instead can indicate other harmful things, such as nearby predators, or diseases from rotting bodies.
Lastly, there is the gun. It represents an entirely man-made fear. It is also a cultural fear, rather than an evolved response to the environment. If it was shown to a caveman, they would not be afraid of it, as they would have no concept of the harm it can cause. It is the most controversial object in the from an American perspective especially.
The image is also censored, the gun is pixelated, and the snake’s identity is hidden. The skull however is unaffected. This is because there have been people in the world who live in places without snakes, and lived in times and places without guns, however human remains are something everyone must encounter at some point in existence.
The medium also takes on a harsh tone, it was a charcoal drawing gone over with digital ink, having intentionally offputting shading, and gaps left untouched. This is again to harkon to danger, more specifically a sense of unpredictability, a rough piece describes more hostility towards the viewer than something more polished.
Camera.webp
This is a painting using acrillic on paper. It represents a connection between the human and the artificial, it is in essence a bio-mechanical webcam, being able to grant human sight to any device with a USB port.
It shows the interchangability of human parts. The fact that it is isolated and not also suggests a degree of obsolescence.
It represents a degree of transhumanism, being willing to augment a body with machine.
It also raises questions about the differences between the mechanical, it asks, “What can a human eye do that a webcam can’t?“ It suggests a hurdle that cameras cannot overcome, or that the technology to make a camera has been lost.
This image is disjointed, it is not in an organic setting, neither the organic eye nor the artificial cable are in their own context, it is all left unknown.