Look at You, Look at Me: Let's Breath Together
Look at You, Look at Me: Let's Breath Together
Look at You, Look at Me: Let’s Breathe Together was the project that finally pushed me to share the development of my art with others. At the time of curation, I was taking a performance studies course and interacting with different pieces of literature within our curriculum. I then found myself coordinating art pieces that described my interpretation of them. My final for the course was a reflection of myself navigating the academic world and my sense of self. Many people, especially those with similar identities (for example being a woman, and/or a Black Indigenous Person of Color) have battled with imposter syndrome. It had caused me to hold my breath, hold my voice, and hold my confidence. And I wasn’t able to see the beauty and brilliance that I had stored inside of me.
‘Look at You’ displays a silhouette of a woman looking over her shoulder towards the right. She wears a green top and tiara and symbolizes beauty, success, and simply the hope that has been revived. ‘Look at Me’ is a silhouette of a woman looking frontwards to her left. She’s looking in the mirror in the realization of her becoming. She acknowledges this sense of hope that is emerging.
The Original Construction
Look at You, Look at Me: Let's Breathe Together
Description: We breathe together every day, without intention or interruption unless there is an unsettled manner that interjects on our self-care-self love. This performance amounts to the multiplicities and internal encounters that we face when learning to love ourselves. In observation, I and many others experience internal battles where the view of ourselves contradicts what is true and is in constant mirrored consciousness.
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/nvpLa4odfvE
Presentation Reflection: Presenting this in front of the class was interesting because I had never showcased any of my artwork until this program. The first time presenting was with the Henry Art Gallery the second with this course, however, I felt comfortable with the class being able to navigate this experience with me.
Honestly, the most difficult part was constructing the monologue. I had first started drafting it as a poem, then explored other poetry concepts like letter writing to the self, I eventually got to do a short monologue, but it was nowhere near what I had imagined in my head. I admittedly do feel disappointed in myself because I wasn't able to finalize the written piece in time to just put it through as a voice-over within the project. Although the class was supportive of the work that I produced, I still hold many insecurities about this presentation that amount to my self-doubt.
