Bridge 2: Final Reflection

Theme: Gender (sex, androgyny, LGBTQX, oppression)

Topic: Societal pressure/biases on and against LGBT+ youth

Link to Theme Exploration

Link to Bridge 2

1.  What is your topic and how has it evolved/changed after all the diptychs you’ve created?

When I first started Bridge two my topic was “effect of gender expression on people’s view of a person’s sexuality” through the original 7 diptychs my topic shifted to “societal pressures around sexuality” and then ”societal pressure/biases on and against LGBT+ youth” by the end of the final two reflection diptychs.

2. What materials did you explore that were the most successful at supporting your topic?

I think that using the black and white paint on gold leaf was successful because I used it in two different ways, but it wasn’t the most successful. The most successful was the second reflection diptych I did, where I used silicone and plexiglass to seal live plants into two boxes. The materials worked perfectly with my theme and were just enough to get my idea across.

3. What materials did you explore that failed to support your topic or were not very good and supporting the content?

I don’t think that the color pencil did much one way or the other and I don’t think there was enough contrast between the crayon and chalk pastel for it to be obvious that piece was medium. I also wasn’t a fan of the first reflection diptych, but that was more execution that medium.

Context:

My topic resides heavily with the LGBT+ ‘subculture’, even more so the lGBT+ youth subculture. Almost any LGBT+ person will tell you that coming to terms with being LGBT+ is a specific kind of struggle. Since many people, but definitely, not all people, deal with this as a teen it’s a very important group to talk about. Especially if awareness can be brought to LGBT+ youth and their struggles. The place where LGBT+ struggles and teenage struggles meet is its own kind of struggle.