Ex Nihilo

After creating chiefly self-portraits for over a year, the concept of narcissism has arisen and must be addressed in my work. Pooling influences from the myth of Narcissus and the medieval act of scrying (where one looks upon a mirror to solve, prevent, and answer questions), I plan to intersect themes of extreme self-indulgence, history, and insecurity through the vessel of installation. The mere act of a woman reinterpreting Ovid’s myth of Narcissus is a subversion, adding an elemental change in gender and sexuality. Through researching the historical lineage of reflective surfaces and then the ultimate birth of individualism that aligned with the craze for mirrors during the Renaissance proves scrying as a pivotal significance with egotism. An aim of this independent studies is to connect cross cultural interpretations of Narcissus and the importance of the looking glass in connection to self-identity and self-obsession.