still…

Ayesha Lantican

I am a queer, bi-racial, multi-disciplinary artist and designer currently attending AlbertaUniversity of the Arts. My current body of work focuses on themes surrounding identity with specific relations to illness (both mental and physical), trauma, and grief. I think of my artwork similar to diary entries that log my recovery progression. They act as glimpses into my life and what obstacles I faced at the time. Through my practice, I can process my feelings and the events that have led to complex emotions. My work takes form in a variety of mediums, including video projections, prints, and marker drawings. By sharing my work with others, I hope to not only express my experience with trauma but offer myself as a beacon others may be able to relate to. still... is a looped visual articulation of grief as I experience it. This work uses myself and my personal belongings to create an intimate, isolated environment of recovery. As the loop plays, it suggests there is an overwhelming numbness that has swept over and enveloped its host, putting a damper on the overall mood. This numbness may be mistaken for apathy, but there is an unforgiving inner turmoil implied through various behaviours in this work. This piece projects on the wall in a setting of changing light conditions to mimic its fluctuating emotional and mental presence. There is a fleeting nature to the film depending on when it is encountered. However, the video continues forward no matter who is around to experience it, much like how grief continues to process with time.