Golobology (BFA Thesis)

Art - Personal

Date

May 2016

Location

Golob Art HQ, 405 Linden Street, Wellesley, MA, USA

Medium

Laser-cut wood, life, light

Size

4.5' x 4.5' x 4.5'

About:

The power of Story Corps, a nation-wide project to record people’s stories, and Humans of New York, a photo-journalism series showcasing people in their own words, speaks to the profound desire we have to be remembered and to assert our selfhood through recording. In both these cases, technology is invaluable to the process of asserting one’s very existence. However, these recordings needn’t be serious. In snapchat as in verbal communication, a simple gesture or utterance can be enough to express a full thought. Golobology makes use of these images for a two-pronged effect.

About:

The first is to show the images that I - in a very personal manner - use to shape my own sense of self. In the wild-eyed, hooded, and beaked Alexander, he is rearing his head back with text superimposed saying “SO PICCIONE. SO MUCH.” In this image, I connect to my last name, Golob, which means dove or pigeon, and my Italian home of Veneto, known for its city pigeons. Yet I also connect with my identity through a far less eccentric image of me and my brother sharing a fun selfie-moment coupled with affectionate “tuhuu, we classic. *eye glasses* *cake* *target.*” In both moments, the images have been staged, picked, and edited to establish the image of who I am. The second portion of this imagery is to not only assert my identity, but to also create an open-ended conversation with the viewer. With only the images to decipher, the viewer is left to confront their own presumptions and judgements through a conversation with my imagery. ;)

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