Birth of the whomen

The function of the creation myth has changed.  Whereas once differing cultures described their earliest collective beginnings through oral traditions and religious practices, now a form of creation myth has emerged that concerns the individual alone. Through social media, individuals are creating their own beginnings, simply by what they chose to include or omit in their user profiles.  Today, the myth of the individual is perpetuated through an almost religious adherence to posts, photos, and videos on social media platforms, allowing for a shaping of the truth – a naturalizing of culture -- that is easily changed with the modification or deletion of an active account.

What is the purpose of a whomen site?

As an artist, I am interested in the creation of myths and am compelled by how this process relates to today’s consumption of information.  By pulling imagery from a variety of sources, disregarding context and culture and merely placing them in close proximity to one another, I am offering a visual explanation for one aspect of the natural world, whose seemingly arbitrary sourcing and decontextualization mimics aspects of digital culture.   This poly-stylistic approach results in works that are best described as three-dimensional collages of hand painted imagery, drawing, printed materials, and photographs of varying sizes.  Because I place these images, culled from photographs, illustrations, social media, and even personal experiences, onto transparent layers hung on frames that come out into the physical space of the viewer, I invite a rigorous scrutiny of how established ideas come into being and assume the status of fact.  The layers of imagery and the diversity of phenomena they attempt to explain ensures multiple levels of viewing, challenging predefined protocols of observation and allowing the viewer to see, literally, somewhere between the myth presented and the support system behind it.*
*Special thanks to Dr. Wallace for helping me realize this.