Date of Award

Spring 2020

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Department

Art

Sponsor

Dawn Roe

Committee Member

Dana Hargrove

Committee Member

Vidhu Aggarwal

Abstract

In my work, I explore the overlooked complexities of linguistics within the languages I speak and I examine the philosophical ideologies that surround the different perspectives offered by those languages I do not understand. As a bilingual, I have often pondered about the languages I speak fluently and how their differences allowed me to understand my surroundings in distinctive ways. Through the use of peaceful colors and audio, a combination of abstract and minimalist imagery, and a time-based medium, I seek to reveal the undiscovered possibilities of spoken language. It is through tranquil imagery and audio that I attempt to convey the individuality of each language, both in their structures and organization as well as their characteristic mappings of the world around us. I incorporate Spanish and English phrases within the audiovisual component of my work to demonstrate the systematic function of language, the way in which we use verbal communication to classify and understand the world around us. I utilize video to illustrate the constant fluctuation of linguistic expression and to guide the viewer into a contemplative state of mind. By combining Spanish audio with English text, I draw attention to the communicative structure that binds all spoken languages, while simultaneously representing each language as its own individualistic entity. The imagery depicted alongside the video pieces reflects the systematic structure of language and the infinite ways of expression that are properly communicated due to its organization. Such an approach allows me to visually represent the unique possibilities for representation gifted by each individual language.

Rights Holder

Angela-Maria Martinez

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