TITLED

Installation

Motor, Paper, Wood

2022

An installation about “Emotion Studies” delves into the figurative expression of negative emotions. It abstracts and mechanizes gestures such as poking, circulating, and squeezing through the use of paper and motors, showcasing the fragility and irreversibility of paper as a metaphor for human emotions.

The project poses probing questions about the nature of negative emotions and feelings: What are depression, numbness, and hopelessness? Expressing abstract feelings is challenging, as our understanding of human emotions remains incomplete. Yet, this complexity underscores our humanity. We often retain more vivid memories of painful experiences than joyful ones. The amygdala plays a crucial role in encoding the specifics of these experiences, embedding them deeply in our minds. Emotional distress can accumulate, adversely affecting one’s life and, in some cases, leading to permanent and incurable conditions.

The pain highlighted in this project is not physical but a subjective human experience, private and inaccessible to others. Yet, our perception of the external environment can trigger subconscious reminders of past pain. The artist simulates this effect, using the machine’s action on paper to evoke emotional responses.

Initiating the series by reflecting on her traumatic experiences in high school, the artist views pain as the most authentic feeling. Articulating pain through her work serves as a pathway to healing and self-discovery, offering a means of communication. She is intrigued by the interplay between human emotions, kinetic systems, and physical materials, experimenting with various mediums such as video, installation, and sound performance. Her initial works convey the turmoil of breakdown and the sensation of numbness through repetitive motions.

The artist’s preference for paper stems from its material similarity to human traits. Blank paper, as a medium, is far from valueless; its emptiness invites endless possibilities for imagination and memory. The application of force to paper illustrates a dynamic interplay of opposition and balance, order and chaos. Just as a slight change in force permanently alters the paper, pain may diminish over time but never fully disappears, serving as a perpetual reminder of our experiences and identities.