Title of Abstract

"Everything Is Fine"

Submitting Student(s)

Kayla James

Session Title

Additional Projects

College

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Department

Fine Arts

Abstract

For this exhibition, my pieces explore the psychological effects of emotional and physical abuse through the medium of sculpture and performance. As an abuse survivor, I know firsthand the feelings that come from living under oppression. To express these emotions visually, I have created two steel sculptures that I interact with by placing myself inside of them during a planned-out performance. Everything is Fine is a steel cylindrical cage with sharp spikes on the inside of it suspended from the gallery's ceiling. At the base of Everything is Fine, there is a small opening for my head so that I am encapsulated by the spikes. During my performance, I place my head inside the apparatus and attempt to do daily chores such as folding laundry and sweeping the floors. For my second piece, I Just Need Some Sleep, I create a steel headpiece in the shape of a box with a pyramid on top. The inside of the work has diamond formations pointing inwards. In the performance, I attempt to take a nap with the piece on my head, showing my struggle to get comfortable surrounded by the hard cold metal. Both pieces express the struggle to exist in an abusive environment, surrounded by danger and filled with anxiety. These performances and their accompanying sculptures show the devastating anxieties that come with abuse, anxieties that are inescapable even in sleep and during the mundane tasks of life.

Start Date

15-4-2022 12:00 PM

COinS
 
Apr 15th, 12:00 PM

"Everything Is Fine"

For this exhibition, my pieces explore the psychological effects of emotional and physical abuse through the medium of sculpture and performance. As an abuse survivor, I know firsthand the feelings that come from living under oppression. To express these emotions visually, I have created two steel sculptures that I interact with by placing myself inside of them during a planned-out performance. Everything is Fine is a steel cylindrical cage with sharp spikes on the inside of it suspended from the gallery's ceiling. At the base of Everything is Fine, there is a small opening for my head so that I am encapsulated by the spikes. During my performance, I place my head inside the apparatus and attempt to do daily chores such as folding laundry and sweeping the floors. For my second piece, I Just Need Some Sleep, I create a steel headpiece in the shape of a box with a pyramid on top. The inside of the work has diamond formations pointing inwards. In the performance, I attempt to take a nap with the piece on my head, showing my struggle to get comfortable surrounded by the hard cold metal. Both pieces express the struggle to exist in an abusive environment, surrounded by danger and filled with anxiety. These performances and their accompanying sculptures show the devastating anxieties that come with abuse, anxieties that are inescapable even in sleep and during the mundane tasks of life.