Blazing Identity
Location
FA-152
Department
Art
Abstract
I will use my skills as a designer and an artist to learn how to create large scale graffiti inspired works that center around themes of toxic masculinity. Blazing Identity is a show depicting imagery of what it will feel like to break a cycle and heal one’s self from growing up in a household where toxic masculinity is viewed as normal. Ideally this work will be seen by the younger generations of my family and serve as a beacon of how you can take outlets like creativity and self expression as a way to heal from harmful household morays. I will be using my own self expressive imagery that relates to my personal experiences, but will be displaying it in a way that is ambiguous as to if the figure present were myself or not. Important quotes from my life that help me deal with traumas will be present, such as my grandfather’s dying words “live everyday as if it were your last.” Typography and image creation will be handled in adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. My love for illustration will be more of a focus than traditional typographic body text, and instead will see the type being incorporated into the main illustration of the boards I put up. I aim to use a color palette of black, white, red, orange, and yellow spray paint to give off a hot feel as opposed to something more calm, or relaxed. The goal is to create something that a viewer can look at where the first gut reaction elicits stress, but upon reading and engaging with the imagery uplifts spirits and motivates a viewer. The medium of graffiti is being chosen intentionally for the association with masculinity and visual elements that are typically seen as more feminine. The process of creation of this piece is as much a part of the narrative as the final output, and as such I will be accompanying the works with a narrated timelapse video detailing the journey this project will take me on.
Faculty Sponsor
Lauren Meranda, Northeastern Illinois University
Blazing Identity
FA-152
I will use my skills as a designer and an artist to learn how to create large scale graffiti inspired works that center around themes of toxic masculinity. Blazing Identity is a show depicting imagery of what it will feel like to break a cycle and heal one’s self from growing up in a household where toxic masculinity is viewed as normal. Ideally this work will be seen by the younger generations of my family and serve as a beacon of how you can take outlets like creativity and self expression as a way to heal from harmful household morays. I will be using my own self expressive imagery that relates to my personal experiences, but will be displaying it in a way that is ambiguous as to if the figure present were myself or not. Important quotes from my life that help me deal with traumas will be present, such as my grandfather’s dying words “live everyday as if it were your last.” Typography and image creation will be handled in adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. My love for illustration will be more of a focus than traditional typographic body text, and instead will see the type being incorporated into the main illustration of the boards I put up. I aim to use a color palette of black, white, red, orange, and yellow spray paint to give off a hot feel as opposed to something more calm, or relaxed. The goal is to create something that a viewer can look at where the first gut reaction elicits stress, but upon reading and engaging with the imagery uplifts spirits and motivates a viewer. The medium of graffiti is being chosen intentionally for the association with masculinity and visual elements that are typically seen as more feminine. The process of creation of this piece is as much a part of the narrative as the final output, and as such I will be accompanying the works with a narrated timelapse video detailing the journey this project will take me on.