Sophie Thervil

Posted on January 27, 2021April 16, 2021 by Ben Weathers

Prey

Sophie Thervil

Throughout my time at Rutgers University, I have felt like I am living a double life. Being involved in a sorority while majoring in Fine arts, created an important perspective into this heavily funded and supported circle. Greek life is marketed as a place to create “sisterhood” and “brotherhood” by participating in events that raise money for different philanthropy. As I have been involved in such a community for over 3 years, that notion has become far from the truth.

Fraternities lead you to believe that they’re founded upon the ideas of leadership, networking, and friendship while in reality they’re supported and maintained on sexual violence through a misogynistic culture. Within Rutgers New Brunswick, there are 30 fraternities both recognized and not by the University. These fraternities aren’t recognized by Rutgers due to a variety of alarming reasons but continue to operate and recruit new members right under OFSA’s (Office of Sorority and Fratital Affairs) nose.

I decided to create four works of art that don’t expose specific fraternities at Rutgers but rather bring to light their involvement and support of such culture. Each emotional portrait is filled with words from Rutgers Title IX, questioning the real validity, or lack thereof, in the document. The still life furthers this narrative by representing the “hub” within fraternities, including all of the items that support both sexual violence and misogynistic culture.

Maya Tillman

Posted on January 27, 2021April 16, 2021 by Ben Weathers

Maya Tillman

You are about to enter into Eve’s Garden, take a moment to pause, close your eyes and listen.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate," Genesis 3:6

" These hands connect to the earth, they write the pages of my story, these hands are a symbol of growth, they contain power and strength."

Black Child

Black child, that little girl with the coils in her hair,
squinty eyes with black pupils
watch them sparkle like dark sapphires shining in the sun,
oh do you know what it means to live like me?
incomplete but filled with desire
born with a sense of urgency
I must prove to myself that I have a purpose you see?
Black woman, all grown up in the city
I came from the dirt roads of Georgia and the smoldering heat
searching for my identity
I want to be heard not just seen, my psyche is on the verge of withering; if I do not learn what it means to be,
A black Woman in this society.
-mayaT.

In Eve’s Garden, I share aspects of my self-discovery journey where I express parts of the ‘theology of liberation’ – my human right to define my spirituality as an adult Black woman. To that end, I have researched modern methods such as meditation, spatial immersion, and healing soundscapes in order to identify accessible self-healing practices. I choose to perform improvisational movement pieces in real garden spaces, which historically represent a utopian place of peace and self- reflection.

Gardens are an escape from reality

Often finding a place to be still and practice mindfulness is difficult. My mind is constantly moving and burns out easily as I struggle with mental health and have no experience in healing practices. Becoming vulnerable with strangers in order to reach a satisfying sense of relief is an uncomfortable experience that I did not enjoy at this point in my life. Being indoors constantly creates an imbalance mentally and also physically. I needed an escape from the reality that I was living and still experiencing today. Being outside provides a multi-sensory experience for me. Reaching a sense of bliss can take work and methods of meditation can vary from sound and acupuncture to yoga and physical exercise. While simply going outside and sitting with nature can provide short term benefits and easily calm your mind quickly, it is something that everyone can do while at home. I am not a professional nor do I have the means to provide a luxurious retreat for myself to relax, so just going outside is cost effective. Garden spaces allow for an immersive experience that touch on a few of the senses; touch, sight, hearing, and smell. Fragrance, color and texture are key elements that make up a garden.The earth as well as our bodies are made up of water and plants and so simply being near calm streams and foliage or listening to trickling water and rustling leaves can cause a calming affect on the mind.

Sound Bath

Sound bath #1 for immersion into the Utopia of growth and self discovery. Listen

A sound bath is a meditation method that allows sound to immerse your body within a wave or bath of vibrations that cause a calming affect from the inside out. This method of escape provides the same affects of a garden and placing it within an indoor space.

End of the journey

You’ve completed this experience, in order to re-enter society fully whole again allow the vibrations of the sound bath to restore your energy and prepare you for reality, take a moment to close your eyes, and listen.

Sound Bath #2

Giancarlo Venturini

Posted on January 27, 2021April 16, 2021 by Ben Weathers

Through Borders, Through Time

Giancarlo Venturini

Over the past year I found myself taking many walks. This exercise was intended to practice mindfulness and staying present, but slowly this routine absorbed into my work. Taking a walk, I started to see shapes. Complex forms reduced to simple geometries, blocks of color came to represent the shadows, and a simple line grew to be the most thorough articulation of the subject at large. I fell into a meditative trance from creating while being out in the world around me which nullified time’s constant presence, allowing the subtle reminder of hours and minutes to slip away. The sensuous pleasure of plein air painting and drawing led me to a visual diary of my year in quarantine. I soon realized that no matter how many times I would visit the same area and remake it again, it would always be different. A new leaf, a new shadow, and a new perspective on the same place.

Although a visual diary of my year, it wouldn’t have been entirely diaristic without including bits of the quotes, lyrics, and personal writings I’ve collected alongside my observational series that detail what is felt rather than observed. The paintings utilizing text in this series are used to work through the ideas of love and relationships, and the many thoughts associated with them. The bits of prose I have included all have ambiguous meanings and some salacious undertones that work through feelings. I use typography to structure the painting and then slowly return it to abstraction. In this series, another salient theme is about borders and the implementation of them. These artworks investigate looking through borders, crossing personal ones, and the journey across international divides. Together these paintings, drawings, and sculptures are a yearlong documentation of my experiences and translation of my thoughts.

Email: gav42@rutgers.edu

Instagram: @gian_venturini

Template – Sound

Posted on January 27, 2021January 27, 2021 by Ben Weathers

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