Dear Counterbalance,
A Love Letter
MFA Thesis
Defense Paper
An open letter, a moment of conversation with work produced at the New School, Parsons School of Design within the Master of Fine Art Photography Program. Contextualizing, thinking, and questioning the place and intent of the thesis work titled Come Sit With Me in conjunction with To Counterbalance: A Manifesto.
This open letter speaks to the video work as well as the concepts beyond but important to the work - bringing into conversation works by Pina Bausch, Joan Jonas, and the philosophical work of Brian Massumi to name a few. Thinking in terms of empathetic support envisioned as the norm in the future as a way to counterbalance the loud and violent political environment we are experiencing in 2018.
I WANT YOU TO SEE
ALL OF ME
COUNTERBALANCE SUPPORT
AND THE MOVEMENT
FOR BLACK LIVES
“Counterbalanced Support” is a coined term referring to a type of support that is active, engaged, reciprocal and ultimately empathetic. The movement for black lives highlights the ideals of support by centralizing the most marginalized - the black trans woman as well as decentralizing leadership to better meet the needs of different communities. This piece of writing examines further the structure of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as its vocal intentions in relation to ideas of counterbalanced support. Coming to the conclusion that centralizing the communities most marginalized and decentralizing the structure of leadership, the movement will remain empathetic and counterbalanced to the current state of affairs. Ultimately stepping in the right direction to achieve their goals of equality and citizenship for discriminated communities.
Contradictions of Interactive Art
A conversation of the theories of “thinking-feeling” and relational aesthetics
A further examination of how the work Come Sit With Me, specifically the installation within the Parsons Master of Fine Art Thesis show titled NOW functions for the viewer. By critically looking at the theories of Brian Massumi of “Thinking-Feeling” and relational aesthetics, the work sits in a contradictory place taking elements from each while the two ideas are in direct rejection of each other.
Self Love is a Revolution
A prose type poem, one that touches on self care as a revolution. An idea that a body is one to be praised and by simply accepting the self you are radically rejecting systems of oppression - support from the inside out.