Presenting . . . A moment in time ⏳
Thanks to everyone who submitted their “moment in time” collages. Here are the mind-blowing results:
“Untitled” by Melissa Trigg-Collins
I created this collage after having spent 3 days in the hospital with a friend. She had to have a mastectomy/ reconstruction. She reframed the whole operation experience and said we are having a slumber party. Being in a hospital has a way of making time stand still. There was a lot of waiting and repetition and the hours and days blurred together. Her attitude carried her through a difficult and painful time. It's not that she was in denial, rather she just reframed how her experience was going to be. She controlled her experience. I cherish this moment we had together.
“Pool Day” by Hannah Seo
I used to really love swimming as a kid. There was never a better place to understand possibility than underwater — the abilities and limitations of your body in space. And even though a pool is a relatively small space, being in one as a young kid gave me a real understanding of smallness, and how hard it can be to traverse a distance. A vintage postcard of an old swimming scene was the perfect base for this collage. It's a shame I can't quite summon the same enthusiasm for a pool now as I had then.
“Cacafuego: The Wonder and Horror of the Late Sixteenth Century” by Meg Woods
I started with the idea of visiting the Elizabethan Era in England, where I could experience Shakespeare’s plays and stan the pirates who captured Spanish ships (like the Cacafuego) and brought back gold and fabrics and jewels, and sugar to rot my teeth and tobacco to burn my lungs. But knowing the genocide they unleashed, and rather than hanging out with Elizabeth (who could be super moody), I would visit the time period—bridging the medieval and modern worlds—and the wonders of Songhai Africa, Ming China, Aztec Mexico, Algonquin Virginia, Mughal India, and the horrors of Russia under Ivan the Terrible.
“A Curious Growth” by Franchesca
I started making this in a generalized state of burnout and exhaustion. But looking back on it now, I see the sort of weird theme of like: probing and exploding, uneasy exploration, things growing in where an absence was felt. Here's to hoping that holds up!
“Uno Reverse” by Eleanor Cummins
As part of my field placement for social work school, I spend time with K-5, MS, and HS students, working on their social-emotional development. This was made in the warm glow of a good week, when I got bested (twice!) by a third grader in Uno and helped a few kids learn how to line up their shots in basketball.
In March, I also kept pulling The Sun in my tarot reads. Normally, I find it a pretty insipid card — way too easy to read on its face. But lately, I’ve felt markedly different. When I first pulled it, I felt so strongly that it was my “inner child” on the horse, finally basking in the sun. The next time I pulled it, just a few days later, I felt like the sun itself, sending my students all the light I have.
Reminder: Please get working on our April theme - organ donor - and please remember to share your creations with us via email at a.hannah.seo@gmail.com by the end of the month. Be sure to include a photo of your artwork, a title, and (optional) a short description of the piece and/or your process.
We’ll see you on May 1 with a whole new prompt (reminder to share prompt ideas HERE!) and a showcase of organ donor collages on April 15. Until then!