the whole story: works by emily de la cruz emily de la cruz
Opening Reception August 6th from 7-10PM
Show runs until August 23 at 6PM
I was born deaf. My mother would recall how I would press my hands against the living room speakers to feel the vibration of music. These electroacoustic objects, constructed to make speech and music audible, created wonder and innumerable emotions in my tiny mind and body despite my profound lack of sound perception. While I regained my hearing at the age of three, I believe the early absence of this sense gave me a hyperawareness of the importance of tangible objects in enhancing one’s reality. The art object as a tangible entity has the ability to shape experience. My work is designed with the purpose of enriching one’s life.
The influence of Canadian Art and the West Coast aesthetic has molded my practice. The spirituality of the wilderness is reflected in the incorporation of indigenous materials in my work. I have also been fortunate to be instructed under First Nations artists. While we don’t share the same faith, their ability to navigate the contemporary art world while drawing on the integrity of their traditions has been a powerful model of how I can
represent my lineage in a physical and tactile manner.
Through my sculptural practice I have realized my passion for materials and the balance of their construction reflects my desire to create meaningful experiences for the viewer. Tangible elements of color, texture, and light have the ability to reflect intangible values. As I delve more in to the creative sphere I recognize the communicative potential of a sculptural object in dispatching my thought, convictions, and ideology.
Art allows me to create tangible environments and objects that can nurture an awareness of sensory understanding in viewers that may have been silenced through past encounters or lack of experiences.
Show runs until August 23 at 6PM
I was born deaf. My mother would recall how I would press my hands against the living room speakers to feel the vibration of music. These electroacoustic objects, constructed to make speech and music audible, created wonder and innumerable emotions in my tiny mind and body despite my profound lack of sound perception. While I regained my hearing at the age of three, I believe the early absence of this sense gave me a hyperawareness of the importance of tangible objects in enhancing one’s reality. The art object as a tangible entity has the ability to shape experience. My work is designed with the purpose of enriching one’s life.
The influence of Canadian Art and the West Coast aesthetic has molded my practice. The spirituality of the wilderness is reflected in the incorporation of indigenous materials in my work. I have also been fortunate to be instructed under First Nations artists. While we don’t share the same faith, their ability to navigate the contemporary art world while drawing on the integrity of their traditions has been a powerful model of how I can
represent my lineage in a physical and tactile manner.
Through my sculptural practice I have realized my passion for materials and the balance of their construction reflects my desire to create meaningful experiences for the viewer. Tangible elements of color, texture, and light have the ability to reflect intangible values. As I delve more in to the creative sphere I recognize the communicative potential of a sculptural object in dispatching my thought, convictions, and ideology.
Art allows me to create tangible environments and objects that can nurture an awareness of sensory understanding in viewers that may have been silenced through past encounters or lack of experiences.
Presented by: the fifty fifty arts collective