H470xW430xD100mm​

electrical cord, rubber tube, elastic string cord, copper wire

Glimpse is a complex homage to the ubiquitous effect social media has on our physiological states. Inherently chaotic, addictive, and self-affirming, our social media usage manifests in our frayed mental states. In presenting meticulously-crafted work, I pose a question to the viewer: what truths reveal themselves after first glimpse?

As an artist, I constantly contend with the paradoxical utility of social media. I feel a sense of guilt – complicity, perhaps – when I compress and flatten complex pieces into instantly-consumable, visually seductive thumbnails. It is not the instantaneous nature of photography that I object to, it is the discrepancy between the amount of time that I put into creating my work, versus the amount of time it takes for it to be consumed by a mass audience. Glimpse is a response to these ruminations, mimicking, and mocking, the urge we feel to participate in the endless loop of self-promotion and publicity.

The piece, which utilizes entwined bands of electrical cords, mimics the flow of circuitry. Deriving its shape from the appearance of frayed nerve sheaths, Glimpse evokes the similarities between both our neurological circuitry and the circuitry at the tips of our fingers – in our phones and our tablets. The dynamic motion of the piece speaks to the transmission of digital information, and likewise the transmission of emotional impulses.

The colors induce a similar adrenaline rush as the one we feel when engaging with social media. Additionally, the edges of Glimpse are orderly and rigid, like the tightly packed confines of social media posts – yet the piece has a depth element, and it is not until the viewer inspects the piece from lateral angles that the manic interlay of fiber becomes apparent. Finally, Glimpse is displayed on a pedestal in order to force the viewer to assume archetypal smartphone posture – necks bent, gaze turned downwards – while engaging with the piece. The intricate, wavelike topography only emerges upon slow, close inspection.

In painstakingly creating Glimpse, I visualize the flow of information behind our screens, shedding light on our proclivity to unconsciously accept excessive information in an instant. This carefully-crafted sculpture aims to be a counterpoint to the fleeting interactions with an addictive and potentially unsettling digital world.