The Interview Process:
I conducted several interviews over the course of the week with my mom, dad, and younger sister. I chose these people specifically because I am challenging the identities of people that I have known my entire life and who I know very well. With these interviews, I hope to gain insight on their inner selves and suppressed emotions. These interviews are critical in allowing the interviewees to express their subconscious thoughts through unintentional art making.
Unlike previous interviews that I have conducted, I did not enter this series of interviews with a set of questions in mind. Instead, I spoke with each of them conversationally. I allowed my mom, dad, and sister to speak about whatever was on their mind.
I recorded each interview through video documentation of their hand movements and gestures. During each interview, the interviewees engaged with art in three separate ways of making. First is pen on paper mark making, second is paper folding, and third is finger smudging.
Reflection:
Mom (Mani):
While interviewing my mom, she was very tired. It was after a long day of work and she spoke about some challenges she ran into that day in the work place. The drawing that resulted from it is very minimal probably due to the fact that she was feeling low on energy. I also noticed a dark spot on the page where she pressed heavily on the paper as she spoke about feeling stressed. I was also given the chance to explain my project to my mom as we conversed and she expressed her skepticism in finding meaning in her minimal mark making.
The second interview with my mom took place on the weekend during my dad’s tae kwon do black belt test. She was feeling nervous for him and I asked her to relieve her nerves by squeezing the paper. She used both her hands and scrunched the paper in a wringing motion.
Dad (Michael):
When I spoke with my dad it was also after a long day of work. We talked over dinner as he was eating with one hand and drawing with the other. When I first approached him with the interview he was feeling very tired yet I assured him that it was okay that he may not produce an elaborate drawing. Sure enough, his drawing was even more minuscule that my mom’s! When I was explaining my project idea as allowing his hand to move freely to engage the subconscious in creating an unintentional drawing, he felt very awkward holding the pen and joked about his drawing as a satanic practice. I assured him that it most definitely is not. I then explained clearly that I wanted him to express his own energy in his drawing and not some external spirit.
The paper scrunching exercise took place after his black belt test. His adrenaline was high and I asked him to expel all of his force onto the paper. He took the piece of paper quickly and with one hand, made a fist and forcefully crumpled up the paper.
Sister (Megan):
During my first interview tip my sister we were sitting in a cafe after she got out of school for the day. She was about to begin her homework and was sharing stories of her school day with excitement. Then, she was listing all of her upcoming assignments and schoolwork. During these moments, her pen moved in sporadic taps on the page, creating several marks. These marks appear to me as an abstracted visual list.
In my second interview with my sister, she was speaking about fear and her many fears from childhood. She expressed her irrational fear of the dark and being able to see images in the dark that nobody else could see. During these moments, she pressed very hard on the paper until it created several rips and holes. She explained the feeling of loneliness and fear of going insane as she was able to conjure up images from her imagination so easily. When speaking her hands were very gestural and created many long lines as she spoke animatedly.
The third interview I conducted with my sister, she was telling me about her school project and expressing her frustration with her English class. She held the paper tightly between her fingers and squeezed particularly harder as she was feeling more stressed and frustrated about her class.
My final interview with my sister took place following a very successful trip to the mall on Black Friday. She was very happy with her shopping experience and spoke excitedly as she explained the items she bought. In addition, she expressed certain annoyances concerning the crowded mall and lack of fitting rooms. Speaking about these instances, she pressed her fingers harder on the paper to create darker prints.
Documentation of Interviews:
Mom:
Dad:
Sister:
