The Concentric Self

Abstract

This introspection of visual art and poetry delves into the profound layers of human existence, likening it to the concentric rings of a tree. Each ring represents an experience, both tangible and intangible, visible and invisible, that shapes the core of the being. The concept of "dendrochronology of self" captures this idea, visually suggesting a method of understanding the being through the examination of life's rings. It speaks to the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future “self”. The word void means to be invalid, empty, and null. When in reference to the body the void, to me, is when the being is not perceived as a subject. This is when your body becomes a number or statistic. I think this equally means that contributions by a person, whatever the contributions may be, are not dignified. The void also represents space, infinity, and nonexistence. The body is made of a culmination of deep-rooted experiences, both bitter and sweet. I visualize life experience as concentric and contour lines in my visual art. I represent the void as black space that engulfs the figure in the exact moment when the corporeal “self” tumbles into symbolic eternity. The focus on the instance of the fall, is a mnemonic visualization of ordinary reality meeting the origin and conclusion of being and existing. Even when existing within the void, emptiness does not wholly consume us.