Art and Design Commons^™

Preconciousness, Michael James Ripp

All Student Theses

Preconsciousness ... Explores the topographical model of the mind through the deconstruction of accepted realities. Blurring the boundaries of consciousness and unconsciousness. Embracing and accepting the abstract view of the mind as “realms” independent of each other. Surreal, yet familiar spaces and environments become a gateway to the preconscious and a deeper awareness. These unique spaces become a catalyst for a physiological journey to the unconscious. Complex views and interpretations of oneself and ones experiences come to the surface. Engaging memories and emotions such as anxiety ... joy… tranquility………manifesting as physical space as spaces become representations of unconscious. Minds are …

Dichotomy Of Self, Shelly Hokanson

All Student Theses

This body of work explores, through a character named Doll, the impressions, emotions, and realizations I have experienced while undergoing a transformation of self, both inside and out. This collection of images also explores the dichotomy of solitude vs. companionship. (Abstract by OPUS staff from author text)

All That I Am Or Hope To Be, I Owe To My Angel, My Mother, Pamela Planera

All Student Theses

All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel, my mother. A quote that binds the relationship my mother and I will always have, through life, death and the paths I choose for my future to fulfill a promise. A promise I intend to keep and fulfill until we meet again… on the other side…

All dilapidated architectural buildings of my series are considered symbolic spaces. They become tangible - representing a venue of dreams where we become deeply affected, by our behavior, our environment, our society and ourselves. Each venue spawned an identity - it’s …

Self / Center, Jason J. Anderson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The act of photographing myself has had a profound effect on my personal healing after surviving a suicide attempt in the winter of 2008. Coming to the end of my rope after years of trying ex-gay therapy and countless bullying in the workplace and from others left me with a fragmented self that was collapsing. It was through the reawakening and rebuilding of myself that I began to photograph myself as a means of therapy and closure. My work has consistently dealt with the elements of faith and sexuality and the problems that one goes through in attempting to reconcile …

Art From The Outpost, Field Notes, New Territory, And The Invisible Hamster, Dymphna De Wild

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The outpost installations I create reveal my choice to be inventive with mostly found materials that I discover on my walks. Calling myself an artist-archeologist, I write down field notes as I collect my art-bound specimens and make a descriptive inventory for each of the works. I often surprise my viewers (and myself) by creating something fabulously strange and compelling with things that were cast aside. I hope to increase my viewers’ abilities to find beauty in these forgotten and trashed items and to generate an innovative dialogue and an outside-of-the-box way of thinking.

Through Process, Mitchell Goldstein

Theses and Dissertations

At the core of any designer’s activity is the process they engage with to create design. Process is not only a way to get from an idea to a completed work, it is also what determines our attitude towards design. This is the place where both the design and the designer are created. The gray area between nothing and something is where we go to discover design, and in turn to discover who we are and what matters to us. In this thesis I am investigating the nebulous place between ideas and things, thoughts and artifacts, and being just a …

Plains Fascination: Artifacts Of Rural Decay, Bryan Gilligan

Master's Theses

I believe that my creative process has always been a means of retreat and refuge, or a method for coping with anxiety and frustration in a structured manner, or some sort of amalgam. As it evolved into something more complex, my creative process still retained its connection with my past and my ability to formulate complex ideas and therapeutic responses to situations I could not control