While my guitar gently weeps : an exegesis presented in partial fullfillment of the requirements for the degree in Masters of Fine Arts at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

This exegesis explores the ways in which my practice, while aesthetically and thematically varied, seeks to elevate the banal and transcend the everyday. I use collage, photography, and multimedia installation, working intuitively with an emphasis on making as way of developing, informing, and working through ideas. My practice is loosely autobiographical, drawing from both childhood experiences and everyday environment, with a desire to remain suspended somewhere between the actual and the imagined. This reimagining and recontextualising through the process of making allows me to retain a sense of control while simultaneously providing an escape or relief from harsher realities. I examine various artists and filmmakers/films in order to further contextualise my practice, specifically those whose works evoke a psychological tension. Although my work is autobiographically-informed, I am not interested in pursuing this in a literal sense,but rather in aestheticising a departure point into the imaginary.