Date of Award
Spring 5-2016
Degree Name
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Abstract
Founded on my personal experiences of growing up in an interfaith household and my high school semester abroad in Israel, my artistic practice seeks to build bridges between people, connecting diverse communities across divides (cultural, religious, economic, racial, ethnic etc.). Through two process, mediation and pilgrimage to self, specifically in using myself as an active participant, I argue that the process of making can become the neutral ground in which to build relationships and begin to imagine coexistence.
Mediation is expressed by Homi Bhabha’s definition of negotiation: “The ability to articulate differences in space and time…to intervene in the forest of signs and mediate what may seem to be incommensurable values or contradictory realities,” and specifically involves collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis alumna, my friend, Ayesha Mohyuddin. Pilgrimage to self is defined as self-implication, a journey back into personal and historical memory to move forward, gaining an awareness of my own participation in systems of oppression.
Mentor/Primary Advisor
Lisa Bulawsky
Recommended Citation
Keskey, Sophia, "Crossing The Divide: Art as Mediation and Pilgrimage" (2016). Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers. 15.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bfa/15