Helen Sotropa
WHY DO I STILL FEEL LIKE
Prompt: Being either a bridge from our previous video project or an entirely new one, students were encouraged to find inspiration from earlier in the semester or expand on a concept not explored. Also emphasized was the presentation of the piece, allowing for both experimentations in an installation or a performance.
This performance piece is a bridge from my previous version (I DECIDED TO BE ALRIGHT) serving as an interpretation of pain. I forcibly faced triggering factors to translate and process difficult emotions, as well as to reveal physical depictions of weaker mental states. Being in an overwhelming environment, I performed internal suffering shown through body language and emphasized by slow, long movements. For filming, I intentionally performed against a window and projected my shadow so the audience would focus on the movements of the figure. Overlapping two videos, I was driven to create confusion about the depth and space, enhancing curiosity about the subject matter. Finally, for my presentation, I projected the video on a window covered by its shades to produce a site-specific performance, yet to also symbolize the ability to protect oneself from revealing their vulnerability and difficulties to an audience through the simple gesture of pulling down the blinds.
