'Stitched In' explores the increasing interconnection between our lives and technology, examining the impact on our autonomy. My artwork uses layering to represent the confusion of existence in today's technological environments. As a college student and global citizen, I rely on the internet, where advertising algorithms analyze our desires and interests through search histories and demographics. Tech companies profit from collecting our data, but these methods are often hidden and subtle, so we don't notice them. I used multiple layers of newsprint and paint to create a chaotic background where intentions become unreadable. The abstract shapes and lines in the artwork mirror how algorithms invade our online privacy. I am interested in how the surveillance of our purchases, actions, and how we spend our time has become the norm. I often see ads related to conversations I've had outside the online world, and we've grown accustomed to this intrusion on my perceived private life. I incorporate anatomical and natural elements to represent how this surveillance extends beyond our online actions. We surrender our privacy simply by being in close proximity to technology, which raises questions about autonomy. The online space collects fragments of our lives, like a single ear or a half-formed image, to sell to companies. I further complicate my art with the use of three-dimensional, abstract fabric to illustrate how this surveillance influences our actions. I transform old clothing that I once identified with into invasive shapes that analyze me, because despite my frustration with the loss of autonomy, my internet interactions fuel this surveillance. This surveillance, through our use of the internet, social media, credit cards, and other technologies, creates the sense of privacy loss we experience in the digital space.

Artistic Process

Mixed media sculpture on cardboard, including collage, acrylic, charcoal, fiber, and embroidery. This artwork is about layers in my creation and in my thinking about surveillance technologies which are layered into and difficult to separate from modern life.