“Lost Days,” is a project centered on showing the progression of phases in quarantine ranging from calm in the face danger, to stress eating and finally to anger. Incorporating remix into my work allowed for a sense of familiarity with an unfamiliar twist on the narrative. Through the incorporation of clips from movies, I am trying to show familiarity within the strange or way of connecting with an audience on a relevant dimension. Most of the videos incorporate domestic activities seen at an extreme level, which correlates to the way that people are over-watering their plants, binge watching TV, and over eating in this time of stress. While one area weakens, people tend to over-nurture other areas to the point of negative impact. In each video, the viewer will see symbols or objects that reflect the focuses in each stage of quarantine. In stage one, the viewer sees Animal Crossing and Tiger King, which shows how people are soothing by projecting themselves into another reality or tv show. In stage two, the viewer sees how society is buying toilet paper and sanitizer to create a sense of security or safety through amassing necessary goods. In stage three, the viewer sees Francisco Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son,” and “Two Old Men Eating Soup,” which reflects how history is repeating itself with plagues, but also playing into the narrative of paranoia. My work focuses on using humor to build relationships and incorporates repetition in a way that feeds the viewer into a narrative of comfort, while pushing through layers of complexity. The use of patterns within my work reveals a broader focus on how these forms can exert a level of control in their mental state. Through this process, I am able to juxtapose the patterns with sharp contrasts that shine throughout the video with the use of the kaleidoscope effect in The Shining, a microscopic Truman Show scene in the corner of Groundhog Day, and three video overlays in stage two. I feel that my existence is split between two contradictory worlds, reality and imagination, but with this project I am hoping to show how perspective plays into the narrative people create for themselves. The contradictions that exist within my own perspective are reflected in the work I create through the development of themes that defy a stagnant label. Much of this ever-building nightmare of staying inside, staying away from friends, and feeling isolated from one of mankind’s primary senses of knowledge, touch, leaves me wondering how this will impact long-term stability in daily routine life. Much of what is holding people together at this point is centered on hope and humor in the digital sphere, but the objects that make up our everyday domestic existence have taken on a new meaning of dependence. While routines held society’s schedules together, now they hold the mental state of mankind in balance. Pouring a cup of coffee, making breakfast, eating breakfast hold significance not only for the time and energy that people put into them, but also the way they are able to unknowingly work through the process without stress. Are patterns a security blanket for mankind or is comfortability created from understanding the process? The processes that influence everyday domestic activities allow the brain to slow down and process how small actions can lead to significant results.
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