Me Before Me
Exploratory response to the word "Forge"
01.28.2019
01.28.2019
A womb, held constant at 98 degrees Fahrenheit through nine months of pregnancy, is ultimately a place of creation. In the same way that a forge is a place where metals are heated and wrought, the heat of the uterus allows for the development of a child. A zygote becomes an embryo becomes a fetus, cells dividing and differentiating to create the framework through which human life will emerge. As iron and steel grow malleable, so does the human mind and body, changing and gaining the attributes of strength, durability, resilience, and utility.
"Me Before Me" is a conceptual video art piece that deals with the subjects of time, growth, and maturation. By projecting a clip of my mother's medical ultrasound when she was pregnant with me over my current appearance, I emphasize the difference between who I am now and who I was before I "was". As a fetus, I was nothing more than boundless potential itself. The steps my mother took to raise me, from deciding what nutrition I would receive to enrolling me in art classes, in combination with the basic genetics she passed down, ultimately molded me into the adult that I appear in front of you as today.
One element is two-dimensional like the chronologically linear narrative of my life, and the other is three-dimensional like the complex being I have developed into over eighteen years. It's an exploration of contrasts: contrast between flesh and photography, between color and light, and between stillness and movement. The length of the video (03:01:1) has particular significance as the date of my birth—one of the most important intermediary steps between fetus to adult. If I were to continue this piece, I would attempt to expand the project to a huge scale by involving the ultrasounds and faces of people around the world. In an ultrasound, every baby looks the same, but this project would emphasize how nature and nurture create the immense diversity around us. I would also use images beyond ultrasounds, such as childhood photos and home videos, which further capture the personality that grows and evolves.
"Me Before Me" is a conceptual video art piece that deals with the subjects of time, growth, and maturation. By projecting a clip of my mother's medical ultrasound when she was pregnant with me over my current appearance, I emphasize the difference between who I am now and who I was before I "was". As a fetus, I was nothing more than boundless potential itself. The steps my mother took to raise me, from deciding what nutrition I would receive to enrolling me in art classes, in combination with the basic genetics she passed down, ultimately molded me into the adult that I appear in front of you as today.
One element is two-dimensional like the chronologically linear narrative of my life, and the other is three-dimensional like the complex being I have developed into over eighteen years. It's an exploration of contrasts: contrast between flesh and photography, between color and light, and between stillness and movement. The length of the video (03:01:1) has particular significance as the date of my birth—one of the most important intermediary steps between fetus to adult. If I were to continue this piece, I would attempt to expand the project to a huge scale by involving the ultrasounds and faces of people around the world. In an ultrasound, every baby looks the same, but this project would emphasize how nature and nurture create the immense diversity around us. I would also use images beyond ultrasounds, such as childhood photos and home videos, which further capture the personality that grows and evolves.