artist statement
Not only could “Suppressed and Hidden” be considered a type of prequel to a decade-in-the-making original writing, but it also could be argued to make a statement about secrets and the lengths people will go to both keep them and reveal them. “Suppressed and Hidden” is an account of cached artifacts and findings of an unidentified, rogue researcher who discovered an ancient journal, the contents of which undermines everything the world has been told about the destruction of the ancient civilization in the super-volcanic Fifth Cataclysm and the true nature of a woman called Embrias, a living, prominent religious and political figurehead of the modern world.
The thesis display includes an oval acrylic portrait of a bald, dignified woman (whom we assume is Embrias), a large painting on wood or plaster depicting the disasters of the volcanic Fifth Cataclysm, a map of the world, and a small bronze sculpture of an ancient deity, coinage, and an annotated journal from a survivor of the cataclysm (annotated from the researcher who found it). The inspiration and research for the annotated journal is focused on Shackleton and the Voyage of the Endurance, as it entails multiple key subjects essential to the journal, such as optimistic leadership in a hopeless or impossible situation.
The journal will be handmade, and hand destroyed, with pages ripped out at key points. Loose pages will be stuffed inside the journal with small snippets from the researcher’s own personal journal, mainly concerning his/her disappointment and dismay at the loss of a page that would have revealed so much, their frustrations with trying to keep their findings hidden from visiting officials, and the stress that comes with possessing restricted knowledge and knowing the punishment.
The thesis display includes an oval acrylic portrait of a bald, dignified woman (whom we assume is Embrias), a large painting on wood or plaster depicting the disasters of the volcanic Fifth Cataclysm, a map of the world, and a small bronze sculpture of an ancient deity, coinage, and an annotated journal from a survivor of the cataclysm (annotated from the researcher who found it). The inspiration and research for the annotated journal is focused on Shackleton and the Voyage of the Endurance, as it entails multiple key subjects essential to the journal, such as optimistic leadership in a hopeless or impossible situation.
The journal will be handmade, and hand destroyed, with pages ripped out at key points. Loose pages will be stuffed inside the journal with small snippets from the researcher’s own personal journal, mainly concerning his/her disappointment and dismay at the loss of a page that would have revealed so much, their frustrations with trying to keep their findings hidden from visiting officials, and the stress that comes with possessing restricted knowledge and knowing the punishment.
