Reflective Statement – Bridge 5 Seminar

As I looked back on my notes, essays and projects throughout this semester I began to notice a pattern. My projects were all based on my past memories and how they have impacted me as a person. An example from Seminar that I particularly enjoyed writing was the essay on my grandmother where I used a specific event to create a portrait of her as a person. I think this essay is a strong example of my work as a whole as I tend to discuss memories of family and my Russian-American upbringing. This topic has translated into my Studio work where I created a variety of projects based on memories. A project that stood out to me was the self-portrait assignment. In this assignment I created an abstract self-portrait using plexi glass and mirror. I created a box with these materials and in the box placed objects that reflected who I am as a person. These objects were family photographs, a caviar tin and notes from school. School is another topic I tended to reflect on in my work as my education in England and Russia has left an undeniable mark on me as a person. Throughout my notebook the themes of family and school are what I tended to discuss most.
I want to continue researching these themes as I believe the best work is always the most personal. I am interested in continuing working on themes related to family, but more specific. In the future I want to create work on the effects divorce has on kids. I am also interested in doing further research on boarding schools influence on people. These two ideas were inspired by my own life as well as the designer Henry Alexander Levy. His collections share a common theme of disrupted families, reflections of his time in Le Rosey, a Swiss boarding school, as well as broader themes of religion, art, and music which are all of interest to me. In the future I plan on creating art based on these themes, but mostly divorce and its effect as it is something personal to me that I feel I still don’t fully understand. I am planning on experimenting with video and performance art as well as fashion design.

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