MFA, Kent State University, 2018, College of the Arts / School of Art

In my thesis, I am investigating an understanding of self by using the unique language of textiles to translate digital photography. We construct identity via the mind-body connection, which is the mind's processing of the body's physical experience. As human experience is based on linear time, our notions of self depend on a constant cycle of perception, storage, and recollection. However, as memory is an unreliable source, our definitions of inner identity become highly variable. The disconnect between past and present is at the heart of the disconnect between mind and body. The imagery used of the body in the box references interior and exterior forces of influence that contribute to the fluctuation of memory and therefore self- understanding. The box is also symbolic of storage, of something meant be kept, as the picture is used to hold on to an experience or memory. Compartmentalization means an attempt at order. Thus, the imagery of containment connects to the binary nature of both weaving and digital information: the relationship of pixel and thread. Each exists due to their respective systems of order. The digitally designed weave structure both defines through its binary system and obscures through its visual effect. As the proximity to origin affects the clarity or accuracy of memory, so the physical proximity to the weavings determines the clarity of the image. This leads to a question of looking at the imagery and experiencing the sensation of tactility present in textile—looking and touching. Here lies a presentation of embodied cognition—the crux of the mind-body connection. The image/mind is held within the cloth/body.

Committee: Janice Lessman-Moss MFA (Advisor); Davin Ebanks MFA (Committee Member); Andrew Kuebeck MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Fine Arts; Language; Metaphysics; Optics; Philosophy; Systems Design; Technology; Textile Research

MFA, Kent State University, 2018, College of the Arts / School of Art

Weavings are formed through a gradual accumulation of threads inserted sequentially over time, fostering a connection between the materials and weaver. I am inspired by women of ancient Greek mythology who overcame adversity through their craft of weaving. Penelope sat at her loom weaving by day and secretly unweaving by night to stay off untimely decisions. Sisters Procne and Philomela communicated across borders through messages hidden in woven tapestry. Arachne was transformed into a spider by the goddess Athena so that she would weave for all eternity. Through the process of creating their textiles, these women exhibited considerable emotional strength and artistry, which I draw upon to bring their resiliency and feminine legacy into my own work. I use the loom as a conceptual tool, finding meaning in the metaphors associated with the process of weaving in conjunction with the physicality of the materials. My understanding of textile processes allows me to utilize the vocabulary of weaving to create textural cloth. Experimenting with compositional elements, I blur the line between foreground and background through the intersection of color and weave structures. Weaving is a form of three dimensional drawing, allowing me to delve into the pictorial and dimensional planes simultaneously. When complete and presented on the wall or suspended in space, the weavings read as eloquent objects of texture, color, and rhythm. While the ancient myths motivate my enthusiasm for the process, my use of decorative motifs was informed by my interest in the pattern and decoration movement of the 1970s. This group lead by women artists, placed value on pattern, craft, and ornament. They utilized complex pattern and shape relationships and upheld the decorative and feminine aspects of their work. Like them, these characteristics are important to me in my work. Through embracing the traditionally feminine activity of weaving and its rich history, I am connecting to the myriad gene (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Janice Lessman-Moss (Advisor); Gianna Commito (Committee Member); Peter Johnson (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts; Folklore; Interior Design; Museums; Textile Research

MA, Kent State University, 2018, College of the Arts / School of Art

Disease is like death. It is not worthy to be spoken of. It is eroding from the inside, taking energy and destroying minds. It is vicious and must not be glorified. But Soul eager to survive at all costs and Body as an evidence of a crime committed by disease, - they are uniting in a single burst and giving birth to the Inspiration. Revelation creates images. Images are moving, puzzling into the pictures and freezing, caught by a digital camera. They acquired a new dimension and new depth not by printing on glossy paper but by weaving into the sophisticated Cloth. Blind Fate or personal choice? Darkness in light or the light in the darkness? Fight or surrender? Faith or unbelief? Life or Death? The eternal questions that humanity as a whole and each of us as a part are asking ourselves, I am trying to answer through the artistic engagement of digital photography and jacquard weaving. I am using a woven structure as a poetic language, evoking shapes, rhythm, and space in unexpected juxtaposition. Immobilized Time turns into a texturally patterned textile that represents the space-time fabric with the imprint of the story of one soul. As the body and soul are two unbreakable parts of one, the photography and jacquard cloth are interwoven in one, reincarnating the flat graphic image into a tactile and multidimensional augmented reality of the textile body, where every part carries meaningful ideas and coded thoughts.

Committee: Janice Lessman-Moss (Advisor); Robin Vandezande (Committee Member); Rebecca Cross (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History; Textile Research