PROCESS/PRODUCT
Throughout my Bridge 4 essay, the structure is based on the qualities of a knot, with many connections to America and our current social injustices, political situation, all of these aspects that make up America. I knew I wanted to create a piece that incorporated the act of tying knots. I had never previously worked with woven textiles, but I wanted to challenge myself to explore a different medium. The monochromatic color scheme of this composition reflects the divisions in society amongst different races that amalgamate a single country.
Uknity, 2017
Amaya Avila
ESSAY/CATALOG
“Identification, that’s how it starts. And ends with being rounded up, experimented on and elimnated.”
–The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
I feel like this quote sums up this semester, I have undergone the process of experiments. The art that I have created and the papers I have written all carry my personal identity. Walking into seminar, I was unaware that a research paper could be a collection of ideas that create a piece of art, research papers always felt two dimensional, bland and informative. Bridge 4 has proven this incorrect. Gradually throughout studio, each of us were granted creative freedom, that began with group projects and the creation of a map and board game, but for my final piece I have created a piece that was produced entirely from my ideas.
Bridge 4 (Intro to Research) Braided Essay + Annotated Bibliography
The catalog features modern art that narrates the actions of a knot. I wanted to curate pieces that served as support for my essay, literally braiding and integrating my works
WHAT I’VE MADE FOR THE FINAL BRIDGE PROJECT IN STUDIO AND SEMINAR IS NOT WHAT I WOULD HAVE MADE ON THE FIRST DAY OF EITHER OF THESE CLASSES.
MOVING AHEAD:
Bridge 4 consisted of many different mediums that all tied back to my research word, KNOT. I think it is very interesting how one topic can create an array of pieces that relate but also create a conversation with the variety of directions. In several ways Bridge 4 has connections to curating and the analytical process of selecting ideas and maneuvering pieces to create a harmonious collection.
INTEGRATED SEMINAR
In Seminar, which assignments helped you to shift and in what specific ways? List at least two.
Writing from memory had provoked many emotions for me, Bridge 1 was written during moments of home sickness and a time throughout this major transition in a completely new environment. Because of the emotion behind the memories of my grandparents’ house, I found that the details and this organic flow of words had become natural and the personal connection created style. Bridge 4 was a major turning point for me as a writer and as an artist. Prior to this project, I never considered a research paper to become a piece of art, the but I transformed my paper into an informal personal narrative, I included ideas that I can personally connect to.
In Seminar, which assignments proved particularly challenging? Why? How did you meet that challenge?
Bridge 3 was particularly challenging, I found it difficult to create a piece that was based off of another person’s words. The recorded interviews were full of simple language and I found it extremely difficult to write with great imagination. This piece is my least prideful writing from this class. I also found it difficult to unite my studio work and seminar work into a cohesive collection. I have never worked with film and video and the project as a whole was most challenging.
In Seminar, which assignment(s) that you completed might you consider a kind of failure? Why? How can you learn from this failure?
Bridge 2’s product is something I felt very uninspired from, throughout the process I knew this was going to be challenging and the piece I wrote, I found to be very cliche and simple. I think this piece was centered around a creative narrative, I found dialogue was what structured the entire piece, so this has forced me to think about dialogue as an important aspect of a story and how a person’s words can shape the characters and the direction of the narrative.
Throughout the semester, how has your writing ability shifted? Cite some examples to illustrate your point.
I have found that my writing is best when it comes organically and not all at once. During the process of Bridge 4, as I was surfing through art pieces and reading today’s headlines, I found the structure of my paper naturally. The importance of using outside resources is something I have learned to appreciate and the ability to reflect my personal connection is what can make a piece so powerful.
In your writing, do you see common threads or themes? What ideas occurred to you again and again?
I noticed that in my favorite pieces I wrote this semester, I have included the concept of home, Oak Cliff and my Grandparents’ home in Texas has been featured in both pieces. In my life, I have gone through many changes, but 314 N. Ravinia Dr has been the one stable setting in my life. Although this course is focused on the many shifts of life, there is also a recognition of what remains the same, for me my Grandparents’ are a constant source of comfort, with them I feel the most pride of my cultural heritage and safe.
Throughout the semester, how has your approach to reading shifted? Or how has text changed your work?
The weekly annotations have changed the way I read pieces, I am able to understand style and how that represents the intended message. All of the pieces that were assigned in this class provoked a conversation among the many different opinions, they were always socially relevant and there was always an ability to make connections with other forms of art. I feel like my analytical skills have improved.
