MEMOrange TREE: A Collective Project (2022)
Autumn... The season of bittersweet endings, when falling leaves bless fiery spectacles; fruits long to be harvested, consumed, or gone back to the earth; and that fine, magical veil between worlds is at its thinnest. It's also when my bubbling and enticing journey with art school came to an end. Anticipated to fill that empty space, I dedicated my final creative project to commemorating the special moments and wonderful people that made the experience unique. An attempt to transform intangible sentiments into a symbolized, celebrated, and sacred object that best remains unbound from time and space.
The memory-orange tree is a wearable headpiece consisting of a combination of organic and artificial materials, a dance between man-made and nature morte, and a reconciled relationship binding the ephemeral and the eternal. The wearable portion is recycled from an old bicycle helmet. Strings of bright red-orange artificial autumn leaves cover its surface, and within the circle of its vicinity grew "branches" of dried orange slices contrasting with the green-covered hula hoop and bright blue cable zip ties. The diary-like sheets, crafted from the laminated torn-off pages of an old self-help book, decorated with mint-colored swatches of fabric and yellow burlap that hint at the passage of time, contain loving words and playful doodles from my people -- my creative circle. When peeking through from under that inspiring canopy of my own making, I find myself carefully tucked inside a safe headspace, breathing in all that smell of memories and nostalgia.
Alejandra
Alejandra
Audrey
Bailey
Bob the Prof
Cassandra
Chris
Crystal
Edward & Jose
Elizabeth
Emma
Jada
Kat
Kat
Kelsey
Kyra
Mbugua
Mbugua
Naomi
Nikki & Sarah
Nirmala
Nolan
Ryan H.
Ryan S.
Sarah the Prof
Sidalcea
Sierra
Top
Tracy
Tyana
Zoe
30 individuals (myself not included) from all gender, race, and age brackets participated in the project. It is amusing to notice different ways in which people express themselves. For those interested in the statistics:
- 5 chose a completely empty sheet to pen their message,
- 3 opted to create inspiring graphics that stand on their own,
- 15 left no doodles but relied on existing decor,
- 7 added to the decor to improve it,
- 9 wrote directly on top of the decor or existing text, and
- 6 shared their space with a neighbor (or likely because they had no choice).
These numbers overlap, but one thing binds us all: We're that Creative Collective Squad who strive to, and thrive on, imbuing emotional meaning to physically existing content.
Check out instances where MEMOrange TREE was lived and breathed in real time:
Photo courtesy of Audrey Russell
Video courtesy of professor Rachel Clarke, CSUS
OTHER THINGS I MADE at CSUS:
(Making Masks, in a time of Masks)
My imaginary friends
Bob the Prof
Left: My imaginary friends. Right: Bob the Prof - Special Topics
Photo courtesy of Chris Simons, May 2022
NEVER A DULL DAY at CSUS's ART SCULPTURE LAB
From left to right: Bob the Prof, Chris, Top, Mbugua, Audrey
Using plaster to produce a bust mold of Chris
NIGHT OF THE ART BALL (May 13TH, 2022)
Led and organized by professor Robert Ortbal, CSUS
With prof Pat <3
Cassie's drawing 10/12/22
Art galleries, a brass-band parade, and an Art Ball/Masquerade evening. A very memorable night that also marked the grand finale of my journey as an art student at Sacramento State University, CSUS.
Photo courtesy of Top Paiboonsriwattana and professor Rachel Clarke, CSUS
