Visual Arts + Tech
Stevens Institute of Technology
Selves
Anya Speck-McMorris
What does social interaction look like from the perspective of the selves? Selves is an interactive, performative piece that is a literal performance of that suppression, from the true self's perspective of the perceived self. The perceived self jumps, upheaves, and makes way for interaction, while the true self almost waits for it to happen.
A handmade quilt. An origami fish curtain. A fish bowl helmet. A handmade ping pong mask. Stuffed animals. Gestures. What do these things have to do with anything?
When I decided I wanted to portray the 'selves', a.k.a.: the true self and the perceived self, I wanted my true self to reflect my actual true self and the perceived self to reflect socialization.
The perceived self was based entirely on a conversation I had with a friend about what they think of when they think of communicating with another person.
Conversation is like tennis. You're hitting the ball back and forth, and when it stops, it's really awkward.
But what about the true self?
My goal was to make a true self that reflected my true self, and in turn, I hoped to resonate with different aspects of other people's true selves. So the true self is:
My aunt, Heather, is who I think of when I think of quilts. Quilts are highly personal, one-of-a-kind, and thoughtful to the highest degree. To me, that is one of the highest forms of the true self because it is innately personal.
My parents would tell me (and still tell me) that I have too many stuffed animals. But to me, they represent comfort, warmth, and a childlike wonder that is difficult to find elsewhere.
I then asked if ping pong was close enough, and she said yes. So there I had my perceived self.
I wanted to focus on the mask of the perceived self because that is what a perceived self is. Each ping pong ball was carefully cut in half, punctured, and sewn onto the mask with a button stitch.
The objective was to make the mask appear neutral and almost expressionless. My emotions were not the centerpiece, but rather social interaction as a whole.
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When I think of how I think, I think of thoughts swimming in my mind, as if they were fish in a fishbowl. This led me on an expedition to find a fish bowl that would fit on my head, landing me to use a plastic street lamp bulb cover instead.
If you go to dinner with me, there is a good chance I will ask for your silverware wrapper so I can make an origami boat. I even gifted my 8th grade geometry teacher a whole collection of origami boats to show the decreasing scale of each.
Thus concludes the performance of the selves.
If you missed the performance of the Selves, it will likely not be happening again. However, this video does an alright job of explaining the process: