Medium: Journal
Tools: Collage, Charcoal Drawings, Black Light, UV ink
Art Statement
Throughout my two months studying abroad in Amsterdam, I wrote a seven-chapter journal about my experience there called Through Darkness and Light. This journal ended up functioning as both documentation and reflection of my time there, blending academic research, site-specific observations, sketches, found pieces, and creative writing. Each chapter delved into different layers and times throughout my experience in Amsterdam, including its colonial past, struggles with homesickness and sobriety, and the grey areas of identity, all of which I had written about in this journal.
The journal successfully merged my lived experience with critical frameworks, exploring how writing can serve as a media practice in its own right. The journal is not only a record of my time abroad, but I also found it as a method of grounding, inquiry, and storytelling! Its structure reflects the need for adaptation, such as moving between moments of light and darkness, between personal growth and cultural critique.
This work has influenced my broader practice by expanding the role of research and writing in my creative processes. Through crafting this journal, I have discovered a new interest in how personal narrative and cultural history intersect, and how reflection can serve as both artistic material and a conceptual foundation.
