Blake Robertson
Was I ever an Angel?
Class of: 2028
Major: Strategic Design and Management BBA
Medium: Sculpture with a combination of text collage
Faculty: Adam Ames
Prompt: For this project, determine your everyday existence as contextual as opposed to actual. In other words, delineate a set duration within your life, i.e. an hour, a day, a semester, and interpret it through non-linear forms. Since the keyword for this section of Time is “embodied,” keep the involvement of your physical self in mind, specifically changes that have occurred, when choosing your time period.
My time within the Catholic church is embedded with me wherever I go. I pride myself on once being a Catholic, but my current pride overrides the past feelings when I chose to leave the church. Ever since I started to develop my character, it seemed like everybody knew exactly how or what I would end up like. Bringing little dolls and figurines to Sunday mass eventually turned into a Bible in both hands, trying to figure out the problem of my homosexuality with members of my church. I thought I was an Angel in the church’s image, but it turns out I was what they dawned upon. The day I decided to shed my wings and leave the church was when I regained my own set, thus representing my discarded wings in this sculpture. I filled the wing with thoughts I carry, such as promises to my mother and chastity, shame, and Bible verses placed within my past. I stained the wing with watercolors and coffee and layered text over text to imply the never-ending emotions of religious guilt. I decided to leave some of the wings white to show the hope I still have that one day; I might regain some connection within any type of religion.