Jessica Maloney: Someone, Somewhere, Sometime
Artist(s):
Title:
- Someone, Somewhere, Sometime
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 2002
Medium:
- mixed media
Size:
- 32 x 18 inches
Category:
Keywords:
Artist Statement:
The box within a box within a box entangled with wire shows that the truth is often not obvious. It may take work to get to. This could be the truth about us or about other people. Initially, we can only see so much of a person. What is it that tempts us to want to know more? The face depicted in the box could be someone looking out as us, or it could be a reflection of ourselves. The plants made of wire are bare, which alludes to winter, coldness, and death. These plants represent restricted growth. They are moving forward while at the same time being bound by that which they are made of. Even if the restrictions we place on ourselves are protective measures used to prevent us from getting hurt, at times these restrictions also prevent personal growth. The box structure is a source of containment as well. It is safe, but it can also start to act as a constraint. Both wood and boxes are feminine symbols meant to nurture and protect. Then there is the myth of Pandora’s box, which eludes to the significance of the unconscious, paying particular attention to the excessive, destructive, and unanticipated potentials. The house in the lower part of the box is meant to represent the human body and soul. The box structure that has been created can also be viewed as a home. The body acts as a container where we store our experiences, thoughts, and troubles. The home is viewed as a safe place to go, the body a private space, and the box a sturdy structure. Containment is needed at times, but too much of an inward view and our lives will cease to go on. Just as we grow and eventually leave the safety of our homes for a new life, so must we over time break free from our personal constraints and continue on to new experiences.
Technical Information:
Someone, Somewhere, Sometime, is a mixed media piece, but the image was developed using inkjet transfer on silkscreen, created with Adobe Photoshop 6.0. The dream-like face in the image was originally a photograph, but was then transformed by an overlaying texture created from a scanned drawing of a pot, a scan of Saran wrap, and manipulation in the computer. After the image was finished, it was printed onto inkjet transfer paper, which began the process of bringing the digital image into the physical realm. Once the image was on the paper, it was cut down to size and sprayed with a fixative. After drying, it was submerged in water for 60 seconds, which allowed the thin, plastic-like transfer to separate from the sturdier paper backing. The transfer was then applied to the silkscreen and patted with a towel to release any air pockets. The box, which makes up the outside structure of Someone, Somewhere, Sometime, was made from used silkscreen frames that were glued and then hinged together. This was then combined with wooden rods, wood stain, permanent markers, pencil, and found objects in creation of the final piece.
Process Information:
These three images represent separate layers in Photoshop. They were combined to form the image presented in the final piece. The face began as a photograph taken on 35mm film. This was scanned into the computer and put on the Web as a small JPEG file. Later, I decided to use this picture, so it was brought from the Web into Photoshop, manipulated, and printed. This print was scanned again at a higher resolution and manipulated further (additional images 1-3).
These three prints show preliminary sketches done on paper using a pencil or pen. These were used either directly or ideologically while creating Someone, Somewhere, Sometime (additional images 4-6).
This combination of image and text was done in a sketchbook following the completion of the project. It was my way of collecting my thoughts on the meaning of the piece as a whole (additional image 7).
Affiliation Where Artwork Was Created:
- Bowling Green State University
Additional Images:
