IYELA ੈ✦✧̣̇˳·˖✶

14. QCQ #3: The Gravity of Levity 

15. Contradictory Structures: Research

16. Contradictory Structures: Final

17. QCQ #4: X Marks the Spot

18. Lost Statements: Research

Bodily Studies: Finding Balance in the Body April 2025 Duration 2min

Lost Statements: Research Concept Board

Quote: “Nauman’s attack, far more deadly than anti-form—because it is about a cooling from which nothing will be able to extricate itself… is an attack made in the very name of death, or to use another term, entropy.”

Comment: This description of Nauman’s work feels eerie, in a powerful way. Instead of breaking things apart like anti-form artists does, he aims to freeze the space itself, making it unrecognizable and inert. It's something I was sitting with as my work this semester has entailed a lot of actual destruction, chaos, and damaging. There’s something so interesting about the idea that even meaning can be “cooled” into a stillness, something beyond interpretation. Like this he’s emulating the absence as well as death. This makes me reevaluate my views on minimalism and the aesthetics it plays in contemporary art. Because with what I read it feels like this minimalism carries a very significant weight. And Nauman’s casts aren’t just sculptures; they essentially become tombs.

Embedding March 2025 Rebar, fabrics, foam, thread, flames Approx. 80 in. x 20 in. x 24 in.

This piece was entirely an intuitive process, something fairly new I incorporated into my practice. It began with the bending of metal and layering fibers, and each gesture responded to the last. The materials ended up leading me into a conversation- revealing images of hair with the frayed fabric, a bed as soon as I sewed the foam onto the rebar, trespassing as I burned hand marks onto the batting, nightmare as I realized that I was exploring something hidden within. The act of making became a conversation with my subconscious. The result is like the way I used flames to singe the material and to melt fabrics together, it feels like residue, something left behind by impulse, by memory, by something not fully visible. Embedding is a space where thoughts are exposed and where the body is absent but its imprint lingers.

QCQ #3: Gravity of Levity

Quote: “Humour is ‘practically enacted theory’ in that it ‘invites us to become philosophical spectators upon our own lives.’”

Comment: Personally, I struggle with welcoming humor into artistic projects. Not because I have conflict with the humor itself, but rather I question how viable and constructive the presence of humor is if it compromises the quality and execution of the project. The author communicates that humor is not mindless entertainment but a conceptual strategy that shifts perspective. It requires viewers to pause and reevaluate what they perceive as normal. So perhaps, as one releases the visual parameters to fulfill, then the "success" of the piece is based mostly on whether the viewer receives the humor. By treating humor as a mode of inquiry, conceptual artists create space for uncomfortable questions, contradictions, and even failures—moments that become important to critical thinking and creating discussion about philosophies and ideologies between people.

Question:

1. Manifesto Room: Research Board #1 / #2 / #3

2. Manifesto Room: Final Installation / Video

3. Artist Presentation: Research

4. Manifesto Room: Collective/Subjective

5. Manifesto Public: Research Board #1 / #2 / #3

6. Manifesto Public: Final

7. QCQ #1: One Place After Another

8. Museum Visit 

9.QCQ #2: Das Sockelproblem

10. Kitchen Pedestal Sink Manifesto: Research Boards 1,2, and 3

11. Kitchen Pedestal Sink Manifesto: Final

Radical Theory and Practice - Self-Directed Practice Final

Karmic Cradle March 2025 fabrics dampened in clay, chickenwire, metal rebar, plaster, pearled-sewing pins, and rope 35 x 13 x 44 in.

Kitchen Pedestal Sink Manifesto Final

Control March 2025 Wood, screws, and the human body 36 x 96 x 12 in.

Link to article

Quote: "As a physical support structure, the pedestal has acquired the implicit ability to illustrate the symbolic basis of an object. Accordingly pedestals have often served as media that established historical references, suggested genealogies or traditional affiliations and articulated hierarchies."

Comment: The role of pedestals in art is complex, especially when considering how they create hierarchies within a gallery setting. Just because a piece is elevated on a pedestal, it is often perceived as more important or prestigious—but does that height truly validate its significance? In some cases, this reliance on a pedestal can become a crutch, artificially enhancing the presence of a work rather than allowing it to stand on its own merit. While pedestals can serve historical or contextual purposes, if history is not integral to the work, then the piece should be able to command attention without the base. If a pedestal is used, it should be considered an intentional part of the artwork rather than just a supporting structure. This challenges both artists and viewers to question whether the impact of a piece is dependent on its presentation or if it holds power independent of its display.

***Presentation Link***

The Cage Piece, 1978-79 Performance

The Rope Piece, 1983-84 Performance

The Time Clock Piece, 1980-81 Performance

One Year Performance, 1981-82 Performance

Swinging from the Backseat, February 2025 Sculpture Metal rebar, nylon canvas punching bag

Eradicate (Continued) January 2025