I am Bambou Kenneth, 24 years old from Tel-Aviv, Israel. I have moved to New York City August of 2016 right before starting my freshman year at Parsons. Integrated Design appeals to me as it enables students to explore a wide variety of art forms and media. While in high school I majored in both film and philosophy and found the combination of these two disciplines fascinating. I intend to build on and expand the high school experiences in Parsons, and combine art making with liberal studies. In my military service with the Intelligence Corp, I have discovered a passion for research and analysis. A passion that continued and grew through my first year in Parsons, and I wish it to be a dominant part of my academic future.
During the past two semesters I was surprised to learn how certain themes emerged again and again in several of my projects and classes. My nationality played a very important role in many of my art projects, Whether as a reflection of my personal experiences as an Israeli, or from a more global view point.
For example, in drawing class I’ve designed an infographic that maps different ways for soldiers to fake sickness in order to get out of the army. This project, made in a humorist, light-weighed manner, was my attempt to present the absurd in army service, forcefully bringing youth into the strict system that is the army.
Another project which required intensive research was my Space and Materiality project, resulting in a Palestinian headpiece that I’ve designed. My goal was to learn about the Palestinian aesthetics through their history and culture and presenting it in a headpiece. During this ongoing project I came to realise how much I didn’t know about the people I share a homeland with, and how this lack of education must contribute to the cultural aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Similarly, in writing for Seminar classes, I found myself dealing with my Israelity, from political, cultural and personal points of view.
Other themes that spanned across several of my projects were animal and environmental issues, and their philosophical and social positions. I hope to continue to investigate those themes which are close to my heart, for I feel I’ve only began to encounter some of the endless information of these important issues. Gender and sexuality, which I’ve slightly touched in seminar classes, will also be themes I would like to continue and explore during the next years of my studies.
During the past two semesters my work habits and methodology have evolved drastically. I have always struggled with laying out and planning my work flow, and these days I’m in the midst of a thorough, sometimes painful, process of acquiring skill sets to successfully do so. I’m practicing time management, work planning, methods of utilising my creativeness and structuring my ideas and concepts. These important skills are the most crucial for me to obtain because they are useful not only for my academic experience but for life.
Practically, I managed to experience countless new forms of art making; techniques, materials, media and methods that I never knew about or knew about but recoiled from doing, gradually became natural elements in my creative process. For the first time in my life I got to work with wood, plastic, collaging, editing, animating and sewing — a whole new world of opportunities opened up to me. These experiences inspire me to seek for alternative ways of expression through art, and I’m extremely grateful to have had this opportunity in my foundation year.
My English, an ongoing challenge throughout the past two semesters, has also improved. With every reading assignment I get, essay I write, or class discussion I partake in, I am growing more and more confident and am feeling more and more comfortable. I believe that this will continue to evolve with time and I’m waiting for the day that I will be able to fully express myself, with a vocabulary of my choice and clear eloquent sentences.
In conclusion, during this first year, I have developed the notion that the more knowledgable I am from readings and research, the more consolidated I’m becoming as a designer, and as a person in general. This year has been one of the most intensive, life changing, eye opening, challenging years of my life and my goal is to leverage what I have learned to become a stronger woman and artist. I would like to keep on challenging myself, expanding my interests, exposing myself to new ideas, gaining unique experiences, and developing an artistic language of my own.
