Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
College
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Degree Program
Fine Arts
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Thesis Advisor
Shaun Cassidy
Committee Member
Claudia O'Steen
Committee Member
Stephanie Sutton
Keywords
Identity, Memory, Episodic, Immersive Installation, Visual Art, Sculpture, Performance, Video Art
Committee Member
Karen Stock
Abstract
My thesis explores memory from the perspectives of both the adolescent and the adult. I find there are a multiplicity of truths that live within each memory. I am a visual artist who creates immersive installations and artworks that explore the plurality of truths held within memory. I offer a childlike whimsy in my visual aesthetic to invite the viewer in and pose a question for their adult side to consider. I question where the line is drawn between the child's memory and the adult's knowledge, and allow the viewer to decide which of those to believe. Imaginary landscapes and ambiguous figures are constructed in my installation to tease a sense of confusion and fear. The deeper one dives into a memory, the closer they get to recognizing that all perspectives can be true and coexist.
As a daughter of an addict father and narcissistic mother, I use my artwork and research to process my childhood and help my younger brothers navigate theirs. My thesis exhibition Replays is the culminating work illustrating how I navigate my roles as a big sister, daughter, and artist in combination with processing my own memories and narratives. Through the use of installation, video, performance, and interactive art practices, the gallery room becomes a safe space to explore, reminisce and re-experience the wonder and levity of childhood. This exhibition is the product of searching for identity, inviting viewers to explore their own memory narratives in collaboration with my personal experiences on display.
Recommended Citation
Gardner, Devann Donovan, "Reruns" (2022). Graduate Theses. 145.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/145
