METAPHYSICS

o f m a k i n g

This collaboraTion is The evoluTion of our ideas and concepTs Through collecTive discussion and individual research. Through The lens of meTaphysics, which can be broadly defined as a branch of philosophy concerned wiTh explaining The fundamenTal naTure of being and The world, we explore various subTopics wiThin meTaphysics. some of These consideraTions include The relaTionship beTween space and Time, physical percepTion versus menTal or emoTional percepTion, undersTanding of realiTy, idenTiTy, sTaTes of dreaming and memory, pre-deTerminism, free will, The apocalypse, and quanTum physics. as arTisTs, we inTend To push The boundaries of convenTional ThoughT by addressing mulTiple realiTies beyond our direcT observaTion Through manifesTaTions of meTaphysical invesTigaTions. we acTualize our role as makers by using an array of maTerials and meThods To bring These concepTs inTo The physical realm. once realized, These arTworks serve as caTalysTs for discussion and undersTanding. This provides a broader ouTlook on exisTence and encourages The applicaTion of meTaphysics To The percepTion of realiTy.

m a n i f e s t o

TAblE 03o f c o n t e n t s

manifesto // conceptto T bl

03 06>36

the artists

acknowledgements contacts

“not creating delusions is enlightenment”, 2012adobe photoshop print on cintra54” x 20”

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This digital piece attempts to visualize the human mind and its reaction to the reception of information. within the context of the image, the human mind inherently seeks to remain igno-rant to universal truths while the universe transmits information in order to provide the human mind with enlightenment. when the mind is sleeping it is essentially at its weakest, and as a natural defense we dream to maintain our unenlightened state.

austinswart

The world will fall into the wasteland. one man will rise from the ashes and reclaim the earth. from the shadows his armies will rise. The nations of the land will fall before his knees and a new era in the earth will occur. it didn’t

have to be this way … or did it?

"all or none", 2012digital, found images

12” x 18”

“affections”, 2012video/audio

s t . a u b i nSTEPHAnIE

This film examines the idiosyncrasies and universalities of committed relationships. love shared between individuals everywhere requires negotiation; it is a language that builds over time. The process involves

the artist acting as listener, and the subjects as participants who learn more about one another through role reversal and imitation. Their individual personas are simultaneously displayed and disguised, and as the footage plays, the shared identity takes shape. with modern editing capabilities, these digital archetypes are played back

and manipulated, allowing for an altered perception that questions properties of truth.

“affections”, 2012video/audio

CHrISTEncontario

“figure study: essence”, 2012102” x 93”

Through metaphysics, i explore the dimensionality of time, space and modes of being. my process and ritualistic method of creation ossifies the interactive

engagement between two people. The two-dimensional image left behind reveals the multi-dimensionality and complex essence of both individuals.

“figure study: essence”, 2012102” x 93”

in this piece, i use paint to record what my eyes observe when unaffected by corrected vision. Through the struggle to translate my blurred world into a painting, i discover new shapes, colors, and textures, creating a distinctive new reality and challenging notions of perception, such as what is “correct” and what is “real.”

our identities are heavily influenced by how we physically regard our selves and the world around us; thus a blurred view elicits ambigui-

ty, uncertainty, and insecurity.

k e l l y b a l d w i n

20/400, 2012oil on canvas 24” x 36”

M E g A n s m i t h

Through a mechanically kinetic structure, i depict how the path one takes in life is already predetermined; whether their path stops before it starts, ends abruptly, or is completed, much like these wired pieces, free will is a fallacy. Time is also depicted as a cycle through the rotating structure due to developed routines and repeti-tious events in our everyday lives.

M E g A n s m i t h

“predetermined: recycled Times”, 2012mixed media

18” x 24” x 19”

SArAHs h a n k s

This piece maps out a complex proposition for the progression of late capitalism, one in which we find a market for buying and selling human experiences. This web of information outlines theories about where our economy could go, if it is ethical, and the role that the dual consumer/worker plays as they contribute to the liquidation and commodification of memories and experiences.

“a penny for your Thoughts”, 2012digital print

36” x 72”

“effigies”, 2012mixed media

dimensions variable

i set ablaze disposed commodities, turning them into effigies for the grim truth that is our unpromising future. This artwork as proclamation, without compromise, displays the aftermath before the catastrophe, a presage of what is to come.

amanda

brow

nphotography is characteristically accepted as an instantaneous

representation of linear time. This piece addresses the possibility of representing the static image as cyclical and explores the denial of an absolute division of past,

present, and future. it questions if photography and image capture

is a wholly self-indulgent act and whether the photographer's

presence remains after context has faded.

brow

n “forget me knot, picture me always”, 2012photograph, mixed media

77” x 37” x 25.5”

dAnnYgoodman

This piece depicts an inner struggle for productivity through a physical conflict with one’s self. it becomes increasingly difficult to stave off laziness and comfort in favor of proactivity. we cave into our temptations and fall into sedentary lifestyles, despite fighting to accomplish our goals. physically taking on these inner struggles blurs the line of what is physical and mental.

“The mind body problem”, 2012six, 20” x 15”

digital print (rendered using maya and zbrush)

brain series 1 “Trapped”, 2012oil on panel36” x 48”

d . m y n t i a d a n i e l s

This painting marks the beginning of an emotional versus physical series of self-portraits taking place in the amygdala of the brain. This is an exploration of our mental process of understanding how we display and express physically what we are coping with internally, with a visual interpretation of being trapped in the emotional atmosphere of our minds.

joHn schriner

“long Time frame” : spectrum of occurrances, 2012 framed latex paint30” x 6” x 2 ½”(above)

“short Time frame” : constructed event, 2012framed latex paint8” x 13” x 1 ¾”(reverse, bottom left)

white square (white skin), 2012latex paint on canvas and brush 18” x 11” x 1 ¾”(reverse, Top left, far right)

i am building layers of paint over time and allowing gravity to impact the paint in

various ways as it accumulates, mimicking the human aging process. because aging is such a

relatable condition, one can’t help but to compare the paint formations to the human body and the course of life itself. within this metaphor

of paint as body or paint as lifespan, the individual layers become events that can either have negligible

or monumental impact on the outcome. The variations and imperfections of each action build

upon each other, so that the result changes from an idealized outcome to a fallible reality.

“down the rabbit hole”, 2012digital media48” x 12”

The entanglement of space and time, life and death, and questioning the past, present, and future have lead to multiple scientific theories including quantum entanglement, quantum

superposition, and relativity. i have attempted to coalesce these theories and questions into a new sign system taking full advantage of the digital sphere.

“faizah nur rochmah”, 2012wood, woodstain, mixed mediadimensions variable

HAnnAHfennidentity is a fragile accumulation of major events and seemingly insignificant factors that come together in a complex construction of self.

gAbrIEllAHAnSon

“Transfer”, 2012plexiglass, acetone, Transfers, mixed media

48.75” x 24” , “49.75” x 26”

by transferring anything, whether verbally, pictorially, or written, information is warped. memories are much the same. events are transferred into images and thoughts in which ad-

ditions are made, details are blurred, fiction turns into fact, and fact into fiction. The act of repeated transfers, layer upon layer, is a representation of these actions. with each transfer, the image is simultaneously made clearer and more distorted. as the layers build, an image

is formed that holds the appearance of the original, but changes in essence.

h t t p : / / i s s u u . c o m /o u m a k i n g m e ta p h y s i c s /d o c s /m e ta

a n d c o n t a c t sACknowlEdgMEnTS

we w

ould

like

to th

ank:

Sasha Schwartz the college of fine arts

ohio universityThe kennedy Museum of art

h t t p : / / i s s u u . c o m /o u m a k i n g m e ta p h y s i c s /d o c s /m e ta

john sabraw

laura eysterkelly baldwin

amanda brownchiristen contario

d. myntia danielshannah fenn

danny goodmangabby hanson

erik myerskatelyn renner

john schrniersarah shanks

rudy slamamegan smith

stephanie st. aubinaustin swart

kennedy Museum of Artathens, oh 45701-2979

ohio university college of fine arts54 east union street

jennings houseathens, ohio 45701

associate professor of artohio university, school of art

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