For my Portfolio hand-in, I am focusing on the concept of ABSTRACTION, and what abstract artwork symbolizes in my own practice. The project is going to include the abstraction of an instrument as well as the abstraction of 16mm film reels. This is my attempt to focus my practice and to work with the concepts of abstract expression as well as abstract distortion in relation to different mediums.

In experimenting with ideas on my interpretation with the concept of abstract expression I am referencing artists such as Hans Richter and Jordan Belson to analyze how subverting conventions and visual abstraction can lead to deeper expression and reflection in my own artwork. Represented through the creation of an instrument, the destruction and arrangement of 16mm film, and the composition of a sound piece to bridge the gap between the two pieces my work is going to act as an amalgamation of my perspectives on a variety of mediums. Right now I am researching the history of instruments such as the Hurdy Gurdy, Dulcimer, Harp, Autoharp, Zither, Cello, and in more recent years, the Apprehension Engine, designed by composer and performer Mark Korven.

Themes surrounding works such as Hans Richter’s Filmstudie (1928) and Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half (1964) will be relevant to my portfolio works, focusing on the abstraction of recognizable environment, two dimensional shapes, and three dimensional objects.

Set lines using edges and stencils allow for the beauty of linear form to express itself through this artwork that brings me back to road trips through the Californian desert with my parents and two sisters. I am striving to explore the use of new material in my sound and visual works. Relation to experience and landscape seem to be transferrable in this exploration.