Creative Play
For my design capstone exhibition, I was largely inspired by the concept of how your relationship with the media you consumed as a child changes as you become an adult. The concept of nostalgia is abundant in popular culture, and media you enjoyed as a child often still remains beloved throughout your entire life.
Specifically, I wanted to explore the relationship I have had with the DC superhero The Flash since I was five years old. I wanted to create a complex portrait of who the character is to me, and what he represents. In doing so, I give the people who interact with my artwork a chance to know me through my work.
He's The Fastest Man On Earth...
2023
acrylic on canvas, projector
61.0cm x 91.4cm
As a child, I was a lover of anything red, yellow, and fast. As a result, the DC superhero the Flash was one of my favourite things in the world. My recent foray into rereading comics has allowed me to rediscover my love for the fastest man alive and come to a surprising realisation - The Flash that I loved so much and had grown up with was not the first, most well-known Flash, but the second: Wally West.
This lead me to ponder a few questions: Was it the concept of the Flash I loved, or the character underneath who wore the mask? Was there a difference?
Through this painting, I aimed to capture the complicated nature of my relationship with the Flash and reflect the intricate sense of identity that Wally West is shown to have in the comics. The conflicting, yet symbiotic relationship between the elements of the painting help to illustrate the multifaceted nature of my perception of the Flash that I hold close to my heart all these years later. Combined with the interactive element of the projected comic pages, this allows participants to build upon my perception of the Flash and create their own unique relationship with my artwork.
...And My Best Friend
2023
digital artwork print, LED light
59.4cm x 84.1cm
As a continuation of exploring the concept of the Flash and the multifaceted nature of his identity, I employed the use of an LED lightstand that participants can change the colour of to isolate different coloured areas of my artwork. This effect is created through the use of colour theory, in which the corresponding coloured lights cancel out the colour underneath. Each coloured section depicts a different iteration of Wally West with the goal of capturing each layer of his identity, showing that the Flash is but one small part of who he is.
I was inspired by how the way we interact with media changes as we get older. As a child, my relationship with the character of the Flash was much more simple. Now that I am older, the passion for the character has not changed, but my understanding of who he is and what he represents has become much deeper and more intricate. Through these two pieces, I aimed to examine my relationship with the media that shaped me as a child and allow participants to interact with and expand upon this concept.