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Artwork presentation

Mixed feelings

Artist: Guadalupe Avalos
Year 2023
Semester First semester
Fecha October 18, 2023

Don’t you think that sometimes we insist on overthinking things when we don’t realize that the happiness we are looking for is just 1 step away from us? This work, inspired mostly by the work of the reference Ben Laposky “electronic abstraction #4”, consists of 3 instances that we will call introduction, development and explosion. In these stages we want to transmit to the viewer the sensations that one experiences when discovering what they are passionate about, which generates that stir of emotions in seconds to finally conclude in what their heart feels. Although I, as the author of this work, assign it an interpretation, it can have multiple meanings for the viewer.

Technical, aesthetic and conceptual development

In principle, Valery Paul (1928), in his text “The conquest of ubiquity” reflects on the works of art that caught my attention and ended up being the inspiration that I needed to create my piece.

“The works will acquire a kind of ubiquity. Their immediate presence or their restitution at any moment will obey a call from us. They will no longer be only in themselves, but all wherever there is someone and an apparatus. They will no longer be anything other than various types of source or origin, and their full benefits will be found or rediscovered wherever desired.” The main phrase that echoed in my mind was “His immediate presence or his return at any time will obey a call from us.” This possibility that was given to us from a moment in history, where we can “control” or have that “unlimitedness” in some way in the use of art, I wanted to be reflected in this piece, where you can interact with it whenever you want by clicking with the mouse or simply moving it thanks to different functions used in the code.

As I mentioned before, the work consists of 3 stages, introduction, development and explosion. In the “introduction” we see a screen in complete darkness that until we place the mouse over it, the figure of a heart and a question mark is not displayed. Try to interpret that instance where we find ourselves discouraged, or rather, when that kind of “shadow” falls on our path and that until we take THAT step, we will remain lost. The second instance “development” consists precisely of our internal process when giving it. We can see the silhouette of a face next to another heart, but this time with a glow coming from its center that can be controlled by the viewer. This light effect is generated using a repetition of lines that give that optical illusion of flash that expands to the edges of the work. In this stage I want to capture that precise moment in which that spark of passion is born within us and clarifies the path for us, our true being. To then go to the third stage “explosion”. In this final stage, we want to visually relieve the viewer of what they were seeing. After seeing so much “tranquility” within the work, I want to generate that disorientation in the viewer with a single click of the mouse. At this stage we continue to see the previous one, but now we can witness a light effect turning off and on in a loop, along with random circles generating in the work. This is when we finally take that step towards passion, when that “disorder” of emotions is generated that symbolize, at the same time, that clarity or freedom of expression, those mixed feelings.

This piece was created in resemblance to a work by Laposky. Within this collection Laposky uses an analog oscilloscope to create light patterns electronically and capture them with still photography. Even without knowing this context, we can differentiate in his works the use of light to create abstract works, something that he wanted to play with throughout this piece. But the chosen work, the nominated “Oscillon 4”, shows that particular “perfect disorder” in my piece. Analyzing the work, in the eyes of this artist, a beautiful white bird is visualized, a symbol of freedom.

Literature