Kayla Cochran

The Closet Room is an interdisciplinary installation project completed for my MFA thesis at University of Washington.

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Abstract

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This project is an extension of my longstanding interest in visual storytelling through domestic still life. In an attempt to discover these stories, I rely heavily on the practice of collecting and investigating evidence of existence. In search of human paraphernalia that hold some anonymous history, I find artifacts that, together, evoke new narratives and place value in moments and items that were once discarded. This project has developed into a series of interdisciplinary set-ups that collapse expectations of reality and dimensionality. It disorients through uncanny familiarity and illusion, communicating a sense of both nostalgia and anxiety. The work weaves together personal stories of growing up in Massachusetts with those of anonymous figures and fictional characters. There is a human presence that transcends the body and grants subjectivity to inanimate objects. I encourage viewers to step into this mirror world, reminiscent of a dream, in search of a feeling, an answer, or a memory. This statement seeks to clarify the concepts and decisions set forth in the body of work.

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