subject. I want the viewers of my work
to feel moved by this new experience so much so that it stays with them.
For my senior thesis I have one major goal in mind, and that is to attempt to convince the general public that snakes are animals to be respected and admired, not feared. I understand that not everyone has the same appreciation for these animals as I do, therefore trying to elicite a positive responce from most viewers may be difficult; especially considereing that more than half of the U.S. population admit to fearing them. This leads me to the conclusion that to help the average viewer appreciate these animals I need to first create a level of interest and understanding. I plan on doing so by using my show as short term exposure therapy.
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exposure therepy bu definition is is "a technique in behavior therapy ... It involves the exposure of the patient to the feared object or context without any danger, in order to overcome their anxiety." By providing my viewers with beautiful, interesting snake based imagery, they might begin to appreciate them at least on an aesthetic level and potentially walk away
with a positive connotation instead of a negative one.
I achieved these goals by designing objects that invoked this interest. I created a 3D wall piece made from bubble wrap and paint imitating snake scales, I also created a series of illustrations and posters to add more of a “design” element to my show.
Montserrat College of Art has all of it's seniors, from painting to graphic design majors, put on a senior gallery exhibition show. This show exhibits our individual thesis projects that we worked on for a year, while also having us learn to curate a group show.
Art has innumerable functions in this world. It can be used to beautify, to commemorate, to record history for future generations and much more. My favorite use, by far, is when a piece is used to inform and inspire. Although I approach art in a variety of ways, molding to the project at hand, the one constant I try to keep in mind when I create, is that I want my work to introduce the viewer to something they may have never considered before, or bring new light to an old