Week one of my month-long residency at The Yards, in Rochester, NY is complete! Above are the works I completed this week, in five, six-hour sessions, in the order in which they were produced. And yes, those are terrible photographs because I was too lazy to scan them in. Whomp Whomp.
A few notes about each day / image:
Day 1:
Migration I, image 1 & 2
I started the day with a sketch warm up of "cells" of various sizes. As much of my work focuses on the innate desire to find connections I began to toy with the idea of connecting some of the cells. Migration I shifted as I created it, and my thoughts drifted into the realm of cellular diffusion. (CD is the movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration). One type of cellular diffusion is passive transport, of which there are three main kinds: Diffusion, Osmosis & Facilitated Diffusion. I spent most of my evening after making this piece researching all of these fun things and making comparisons between the natural occurring state of equilibrium desired on a cellular level, and the lack thereof within the rapidly gentrifying city in which I live.
Day 2:
Migration II, image 3 & 4
Riffing off of the same concept, Migration II depicts a cluster in a state of oversaturation, in the beginning stages of a passive-transport. Chemicals move throughout cells in pursuit of equilibrium, but this movement is only possible if the space is available, and if the molecules can fit through the membrane of the cell. Otherwise we dip into a realm a whelm of Second Active Transport- forms of assisted entries... Are you bored yet? Because my mind is racing.
Is Gentrification an opportunistic transference of chemicals into a solvent because the space is available, but like a bad experiment where the chemist forgets to stop pouring and equilibrium is never achieved? Is affordable Housing as the response to a lack of balance within the housing market of NYC a way to add more solvent to the solution?
Day 3:
Vacancy, image 5
In considering the patterns of migration, and our country's history of colonialism, Vacancy explores the idealistic circumstance of unchartered / uninhabited land. This space exists to relieve the strain for space the "cells" of the previous two images are experiencing.
Day 4:
Woman: Tangled, in Rest Image 6
It is sometimes difficult to believe the things you know to be true, about yourself and about the world around you. While time may be infinite, we never seem to have enough of it. This linework was channeled through a conversation about setting intentions, knowing what you need to do to see them through, and getting past the (always) hard part in the middle. It takes a lot of breath to move past being overwhelmed and to see the light coming from the other side. Thank you for the inspiration, M.
Day 5:
Mountain Women I & II, diptych Image 7 & 8
Since my arrival on Sunday, I've been very diligent about spending 6-10 hours in the studio every day. It's what I came here to do :) On Friday, I wanted to round of the week with two smaller images nodding back to one of my older series a triptych entitled "Wholly, Holey, Holy Women." The figures in this work are faceless and multiheaded- honoring the women who may go through their days unthanked and anonymous, functioning as working-professionals, mothers, friends, after school tutors, chefs, tailors, and so so much more- all in one day, all in one body.
I feel so incredibly lucky to have to opportunity to be here and explore my mind, uninterrupted and without regulations. In the upcoming week I'll be working on collaborative pieces with my co-resident, Andrea Durfee who is a talented gem of an artist, specializing in watercolor landscapes that blow my mind.
Until next time,
atiya