Fragmented Life - c. Fall 2023

Medium: Premier Pro / Found Footage / Mirror / Duct Tape / Foam Board

Final Setup

Mirror

Video Stills

About this piece...

Prompt: Open project - design, produce, and present a project created by yourself.

Created in: ART.4601 Graphic Design Workshop 1 at University of Tennessee - Chattanooga.

My notes: This project was the start of my final senior thesis project that was created in the second graphic design workshop. Starting this project we did research about any topics/ideas we cared about. I was very intrigued in the ideas from the intro of the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. In the novel, he accounts the ancient teachings from a society called the Toltec's. They had this wonderful concept on how we are connected to everything and everything is connected to us through light. Taking other inspiration from the movie Koyaanisqatsi and Harun Farocki's Labour In a Single Shot. While the book showcases this idea about connection in a very romanticized way referring to nature, animals, and other individuals, I wanted to take a look at the idea with a darker lens. I compiled a video of clips from all parts of life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Using this video I found that when projecting a video on a mirror, the mirror will refract the video onto whatever surface the mirror is facing. My idea was that when a person would stand in front of the mirror, they then would become part of each item of life that was shown. Whether it is life, burning buildings, plants, pollution, etc.... we are connected to all of it!