"Death created time to grow the things it would kill" is a quote from the first season of True Detective that has always stuck with me. I think there is a really interesting interplay between physical media, digital media, and this idea of time. Initially I had thought that as technology continues to progress that print media slowly dies, but it might not necessarily be the case. Each medium, digital and print, are in different stages of their 'life cycles'. Physical media appears to be in a lull as technology reaches the apex of its existence, technology is the most advanced it has ever been and will continue to evolve overtime. However, this renders old technology obsolete fairly quickly, with pieces of tech 'dying' or being eclipsed by the new in rapid speed. For my thesis, I created a book that explores time and existentialism, allowing the piece to comment on itself. The technological piece has an expiration date while the physical book, being more archival, will stay in this plane of existence; serving as a memory of a place and time where the piece existed as a whole.
Thesis Abstract:
"The theory of eternal return is the notion that all of existence has been recurring repeatedly across infinite time and space. This thesis focuses on the relationship between digital and analog media, and how their existence is and will be defined by this very same theory. Eternal return's pervasiveness throughout world culture, society, religion, and of course, media will be discussed. Specifically, what eternal return means for different cycles of media, and how it should govern the use of mixed media. The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate how eternal return effects media and what that means for a digital artist. Additionally, the thesis will expound upon why eternal return inspired the creation of my artist's book, Scarab Eternal, which considers the past, present, and future literally and figuratively."
Scarab Eternal: Artist Book Demonstration
Scarab Eternal: Film Component
Scarab Eternal: Reflection
The road to finishing my thesis was by no means conventional. I finished the winter quarter at SCAD feeling accomplished and on track. My film was about 95% complete, which meant I could focus my full attention building my artist book and finishing my paper during the spring quarter. I left Atlanta feeling confident about my thesis. I had no idea that when I landed in San Antonio that my spring break trip would be extended, indefinitely.
COVID-19 sent the world into lockdown, getting a flight back to Atlanta became impossible. I was stranded in the Lone Star State, far from the tools, spaces, and people that my project’s success depended on... left instead with copious amounts of caffeine, a new love for breakfast tacos, and a stubborn sense of optimism. The artist book I had imagined building no longer fit into the reality of my boyfriend's small apartment and aging inkjet printer whose idea of ‘functional' was a loose interpretation. Ultimately I had to pivot, adapting the design to meet the constraints of my new normal. I was able finish my film, complete the final draft of my paper, and create a book that communicated the themes of my thesis work; all remote.
My thesis defense took place in May of 2020 on a Zoom call consisting of three Atlanta-based professors, me (new to Texas, practicing my ‘y’all's), and a shared screen. After my defense I was not greeted with the thunderous applause of friends and family like I had dreamed of for the past three years, but rather the quiet click of a disconnected call. That soft click marked the end of my time as a SCAD graduate student, although the end was anticlimactic, SCAD was a formative chapter in my life. I am deeply grateful for all the friends, peers, and professors that helped shape me into the artist I am now. Without further ado, my thesis work: Scarab Eternal.