Alecsa Ilina
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For this year’s Sustainability Art Prize I am proposing an alternative approach, focused more on emotional sustainability and the psychological impact of the senses. The focus is centered around the intimacy of touch, bringing in aspects of playfulness and rawness into the work. The piece’s intention is to combine videography with sculptural elements in order to create a sensory installation that the public can interact with. The video depicts an interaction between an intensified visual response, hence the overly saturated colour choice, with a raw movement of hands indicating a play with the sense of touch. The sculptural component includes two cardboard hand molds, decorated with different materials, to heighten the tactile response of the public. Therefore creating an emotional relation to the video. The materials used are intentionally repurposed from previous installation pieces, highlighting the versatility of placing the same material with a different concept. The theatrical effect of reusing the props is key to the concept. In terms of positioning and installation, the piece is fairly minimal, the video being placed on a screen, having the two hands right below at a height accessible to anyone.
Colour is one of my greatest joys. How colour changes the way a work or a space is interpreted fascinates me. My work combines multiple mediums, a main part of my practice being digital manipulation through either photography or videography. This variety includes large scale installations, interactive pieces and creating environments. I like bringing a note of theatricality in my work, such as bold set designs and dramatic lights and effects. Often times I use self portraiture or the depiction of my own body as the central focus within my installations, therefore introducing a performative feel to them. The themes I find myself interested in are circled around the human condition. Thus, how humans perceive their surroundings and ultimately themselves is of great importance to me. I want my work to induce a feeling of playfulness , of celebrating humans as a whole.