Defense Date
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Sculpture + Extended Media
First Advisor
Massa Lemu
Second Advisor
Lily Cox-Richard
Third Advisor
Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste
Abstract
This personal journey is a testament to the transformative power of play within my practice. It is a love story between me and the institution, sparked by my fervor for communal creativity in a graduate school environment. Through creative endeavors like public art installations and silent artist talks, I confront racial dynamics and institutional reluctance to engage with complex issues like Black Lives Matter. My personal experiences of alienation are woven into the broader themes of community building, communication, and systemic change. I navigate the complexities of group mentality and exclusion by deliberately using unconventional forms of expression, such as silence and misunderstanding. Drawing parallels between mathematical concepts like the Collatz conjecture and the dynamics of violence within social groups, I propose a theoretical framework for understanding systemic challenges. This framework highlights the cyclical nature of violence and the potential for individual agency to disrupt harmful patterns. Embracing play, misunderstandings, and temporal perspectives as tools for driving societal transformation across time and space, I foster a journey of self-discovery and resilience.
Rights
© Jermaine Ollivierre
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-10-2024