VISCOM: Project 1 (Final Statement)

project title: Little Empire

words:

ally

fortify

crusade

regiment

establish

allocate

facilitate

stockpile

Little Empire addresses topics within the realm of domesticity in a way that does not comment on the gender roles that are traditionally associated with matters of the home, nor family dynamics. Rather, the piece is an examination of what goes into the running of a household on an essential level, and the power that is taken on by a homemaker of either gender. I liken this sense of power over one's small home domain to the power possessed by a monarch, whose responsibilities to their empire are similar to those of an individual who must care for, protect, and bring order to their home. It is in this way that a home can be a "little empire", scaled down to encompass a single family instead of a whole country. Whether that family contains a king and queen and multiple child-subjects, or a single ruler who reigns over their own private space, certain actions must be performed in order for a household to exist. My intension is to represent these actions at their most basic, in a way that can be applied simultaneously to a grander-scheme topic such as the rule or governance of a sovereign state.

Aesthetically, Little Empire is intended to convey a certain richness and sensuality, but is primarily meant to communicate strength and structure. Therefore, the symmetry and rigidity that is dominant in most of the compositions is softened by the use of textiles. The textures, which are reminiscent of furniture and other household surfaces, are the link between what we recognize as being "of the home" and the other themes that are present in the imagery. The military references are intended to put the viewer in a position to directly compare home life to politics. I used images from vintage books to give the pages a sort of lived-in agedness. Also, the frequent use of red in an otherwise very muted color scheme gives the compositions that retro, political propaganda flavor; another reference to the quasi-political aspects of home life. Some compositions are extremely simplistic in form, some are robotic or mechanical, some are borderline organic-but they are all firmly grounded and almost emblematic in their static symmetry. There are relatively few images of people used, mainly to support the idea that these concepts transcend individual duties and daily activities, and are not limited to certain types of people.