DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/4553-4887
Defense Date
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Craft/Material Studies
First Advisor
Jack Wax
Second Advisor
Bohyun Yoon
Third Advisor
Kelcy Chase Folsom
Abstract
Everything that exists in the world is made from “nature.” Humans who initially coexisted with nature began to distinguish themselves from what is human and what is not. Unlike past systems that used to reuse all materials, Society so far has focused on maximizing economic profits along with advancing technology. As a result, the nature of the earth is being irrevocably destroyed, and I think the basis for this lies in the distinctions made between the human and the non-human.
I am always seeking to be in a state where I do not have an atman, like the Buddhist concept of speaking of oneself in utter nothingness. Sunyata, in Buddhist philosophy, the emptiness that constitutes the true and the ultimate reality. Sunyata is seen not as a negation of existence, but rather as the undifferentiation out of which all apparent entities, distinctions, and dualities arise. My understanding of The Buddhist sunyata concept that ultimately understands oneself as an empty being has led me to the notion that all beings in the world are one without distinction from myself.
New Materialism can offer opportunities for expanded interpretations of materials and objects, and their relationships with all that surrounds them. We can move away from a human-centric ontology. Working within the concept of the new materialism, I work with discarded objects and materials as my collaborators, and think of them as living beings with complex inner lives. I hope to blur the distinctions between life and non-life, and change the dominant cultural attitudes regarding human consumption.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-22-2020