Elena Jin
'Disconnection'
Through the screen of my computer, I can see the images which are made up of tiny lights all each a different colour. The colours on a device are often forgotten as they display a bigger picture, in this case, my future, my literal reality. College applications, and everything that decides my success are all decided on this 11-inch piece of technology. The dark colours show what happens if the tiny screen lights stopped working and cut me off from my reality. Disconnection. Each time you zoom into the pictures, the optical illusion of the screen lights moving in different directions questions you if your dream is an oxymoron through the flashes. My academic hopes, layered on a digital assignment, are my sole connection to the world. A human, forever forgotten on another side of the screen.
Francesca LeBlanc
'Booth'
Through dreams, we are able to see our truth as well as our own distorted reality. In times of desperation, we often subconsciously bend our narrative and our perception of reality. However, we are able to see the truth, as well as our own fictional distorted reality, through dreams. By digitally painting on top of the photograph I was able to create a very distorted, and false-looking reality. This piece shows the likeness and conflict between the two aggressively opposing worlds through shadows and colours.
Jane Forrest
'Memories That Sink Underwater”'
I make art to connect to the world. My process begins with photographs of places I hold very close to me. I then cover the photograph in oil paint, a material whose physicality I’m drawn to. Using paint, my goal is to attach a physical weight to memories, places and time. With significant amounts of oil paint, the heaviness within the colours and movement interact with each other until the original photograph is completely covered. My photos, paint, and I tell the story together. Creating these tangible living memories is the process that makes me feel less alone in the world.
Maya Kachra
'River'
Through chemically distorting a photography print, I explore the boundary between reality and imagination. The base image used is rooted in personal dreams, allowing the audience to assign their own experiences to my images and understand the individuality and commonality of dreaming. I document locations around me and distort them to become something that doesn’t exist physically, but rather exists only in imagination. My artistic process incorporates control and playful experimentation in a unique way that determines the outcome of my piece, both visually and with the emotions it evokes, almost mimicking the process of dreaming.