accepting evolves confusion into self affirmation. It rewrites the terms of acceptance for specific aspects of ourselves, provides solace in contradictions of personality, as well as embracing past mistakes and the nothingness of life. It invites the artist and viewers to express feelings wholly and authentically.
Francis Alicka
You see the Spurs game last night? What do you want to do with your life? You trying to go to the gym? Ever think about the future? Some of these questions are not what you would normally hear in a conversation between guys. A lot of men will talk about the gym, sports, games, etc. Rarely ever do they talk about how they feel or anything related to that. I find it sad that at a young age, men are conditioned to not speak about how they’re feeling and go about their lives thinking that way. My friend Phillip is someone that I can have any kind of conversation with, and for that, I am thankful. The Bench is meant to be an insight into the kinds of conversations that my friend and I have.
Francis Alicka (b. 2001, New York City, United States) is a video and animation artist who lives and works in New York City. He works with film and animation because these mediums play an active role in his life. Francis regularly filters various forms of media to gain inspiration. These mediums are what he is familiar with and makes him feel the most confident in what he puts out. He is always on the lookout for videos that “speak to him”, whether it be a certain editing technique, the actual content of the video, or something that elicits emotions in Francis will always pique his interest. The main subject of Francis' work is existentialism, overwhelmingness, and a sense of aimlessness. These topics and concepts are important to him because they are the things that he is currently living through making Francis' art-making process ever-changing. The one thing that is always constant with his work is that it’s perspective-based.However the medium and topics are always subject to change. They are always influenced by what is going on in his life at the moment and his work will try to make the viewer feel that.
Amanda Martinez
gemininity embarks on a transformative journey to humanize Geminis and challenges the stereotypes that have long clouded this zodiac sign in misunderstanding. The heart of this documentary lies in the diverse group of Gemini individuals who generously share their deeply personal narratives, transcending the boundaries of astrology. The participants featured in this project delve into intricate themes such as communication, creativity, and mental health, shedding light on universal experiences and challenges that bind humanity together. Through the art of empathetic storytelling, the project boldly confronts the stereotype that Geminis are often unfairly labeled as 'two-faced.' It peels back the layers to reveal the rich tapestry of their lives. Within the intimate narratives, viewers have the opportunity to explore moments of struggle, self-acceptance, and personal growth. The aim is not only to inspire introspection but also to foster reflection on personal dualities, misconceptions, and the profound beauty that resides in embracing the complexity found within each individual.
This project recognizes that the zodiac's influence is not confined to those with specific planetary placements in a sign. Rather, it embraces the idea that everyone carries a blend of energies from all zodiac signs in their birth chart, influencing various facets of their lives. It explores how Gemini energy, whether prominent or subtle, can impact individuals' experiences, even beyond their planetary placements. gemininity extends beyond the boundaries of zodiac signs, delving into the very essence of what it means to be human. It opens a gateway to an open dialogue, offering a platform for understanding and empathy. By the project's culmination, the goal is to witness the transformation of non-Gemini sympathizers into champions of diversity, acceptance, and human existence.Amanda Martinez is a multimedia artist inspired by the transformative power of storytelling who has had the privilege of immersing herself in a world that marries creativity, artistry, and exploration of the human experience. Her background in graphic design, video production, photography, and audio illuminates and challenges misconceptions, relationships, and habits. Amanda Lianna believes that stories and perspectives hold unparalleled power to connect, challenge, and inspire, and she weaves a spiritual thread through her narrative explorations.
Amanda's creative journey is a mosaic of diverse experiences and influences extending beyond the realms of art and technology. With over five years of experience, she has delved into the intricate arts of astrology and tarot reading, connecting with individuals on a deeply personal level. This exploration has not only honed her intuitive abilities but has also deepened her connection to the spiritual realm. It has reinforced the significance of embracing the unique complexities that define each person's path, highlighting the profound role of spirituality in navigating life's intricacies. Through this, her work seeks to challenge perceptions, foster understanding, and celebrate the multifaceted nature of human existence through a spiritual lens.
Allison Lai
Sky: Children of the Light is an open-world indie adventure game created by thatgamecompany with a heavy emphasis on socializing and friending other players across the world. This game was chosen as the main source content of the piece lingering light because it was where I found solace through the pandemic. My friend introduced it to me and we met in-game every day, completing our daily tasks and slowly meeting other players throughout the world, forming friendships across the language barrier. Fast forward to the present day, it's been a lifetime since those friends’ constellations last shined in the sky. They haven’t been online, quitting the game in favor of reality; the unspoken goodbyes, the lack of an ending, it just doesn’t feel right. When it comes to online friends, you never know when you’ll meet for the last time until that moment has already passed. The words unsaid at the end of a relationship were the inspiration for this piece.
Incorporating the game’s mechanics of light and self-sacrifice in guiding others to reach the next life, the narrative focuses on the lives of two characters in their struggle for closure. When one’s life is unfairly cut short, the other must strive forward alone; a solitary light slowly suffocating and dimming in the storm. With the aid of unexpected acquaintances and re-visiting the pain of the past, a final farewell is established allowing the inner storm of regret and tragedy to move on. It takes two to tell a story—a camera and an actor. That was the case for this project, in which two mobile devices were utilized to shoot the footage. There were many difficulties in operating the camera: a technical bug not allowing the character to leave the camera’s field of vision nor to be too far from it—thus scenes where both characters appear often had to be shot separately; standing in the rain too long caused one’s light to drain and thus kills you, that was especially fun considering it rains in half the piece so the camera operator often died; to achieve certain shots where there is no place to stand, the character operating the camera had to piggyback on the other character who is required to fly, causing the footage to be unstable and the head of the one below to be seen in the frame. Due to Sky being an open-world game, there were many incidents with other players appearing on camera as well as props not being where the script called for. These issues were solved through several means: enlisting help from friends, bringing a placeable umbrella for the camera operator, a lot of trial and error in flying to not be captured on camera, filming at night to avoid populated times—although that’s when the other half of the world is up so other players can’t be avoided, and visiting an area multiple times in hopes of joining a server where the props are in place.In honor of the collaboration between the game and Aurora, the audio for lingering light incorporates works by the artist to enhance the narrative direction and to guide the viewer to form a deeper emotional connection with the characters by being able to fully grasp the story
Allison Lai is a New York-based artist who primarily works in animation and illustration to deliver self-curated narratives that draw upon personal experiences, often adding a dark yet humorous twist. Lacking the confidence and communication skills needed to verbally tell a story, she prefers to voice her thoughts through her work, inviting an enigmatic, often confused yet unbothered way of viewing the world. Her love of video games and Japanese anime can be seen as an influence in various pieces, impacting her choice of framing, characters, and overall structure of the video. The self-created penguin and duck duo, which are recurring characters throughout her work, reflect her friendship and adventures with fellow animator Olivia Pan. Unable to find meaning in the abstract, Lai has a clear direction for her storytelling. Every story must have a beginning, middle, and end, just as a piece of music must collectively start and end on the conductor’s cue. As a youth she underwent a music education for many years which inspired her methodology as an artist—just as every note must be played in tune, how every instrument in an orchestra must harmonize into one sound, every frame of an animation must be perfect, every transition seamless, every decision made with purpose. She is sharp and critical, as if holding a magnifying glass to see details where others do not—much like how an accountant reviews each number meticulously. Her current skills as an artist draw heavily upon the knowledge accumulated from Video and Animation courses acquired during college, where she majored in Accounting, begrudgingly yet voluntarily.
Xinyao Li
Perfection is an Illusion is a humorous critique of modern media communication on individual life and self-cognition. It shows how the media can play an important role in shaping our self-perception and values, and how this shaping can lead to anxiety and self-doubt. Many individuals tend to trust what they see, yet the reality is that appearances can be deceiving. Some may find themselves admiring those who frequently showcase seemingly flawless experiences on social media platforms, leading to feelings of unease and dissatisfaction with their own, seemingly ordinary lives. However, as human beings, every person's journey encompasses both moments of joy and instances of sorrow. There's no need to undermine your self-worth based on the achievements of others. Each individual is an inherently unique presence in this world.
Xinyao is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She is fascinated with the impact of modern media communication on how we experience and understand the world. She explores the idea that perfection is an illusion and its influence on our individual life and self-cognition. By investigating the beauty of imperfection, Xinyao encourages us to move away from the idyllic standards towards finding beauty in ones own individuality and life experiences. Through marketing tactics and the creative use of analog images and digital media, Xinyao creates works that are vivid, symbolic, and thought-provoking. She uses her art as a platform to express her ideas and compel viewers to question long-held social conventions.
Molonie Rishilakram
The work titled 6096868 explores the state of mind at the end of a human connection. The foundation of this work is built upon the ideas of the philosopher Albert Camus, who proposed that life is inherently meaningless, nevertheless, we must embrace the absurdity of it. According to Camus, humans have the tendency to seek the meaning of life, but their attempts are bound to fail. This pursuit of meaning takes several forms which include solidarity where people strive to connect their experiences with others and develop a meaningful relationship through this process.
However, what if this connection fails? This project confronts this question with the use of visual sensory in coping with a loss of meaning and a feeling of emptiness within because the source of meaning ended. To emphasize this end, the red threads (symbolize a deep connection in East Asian culture) are used to set up this distance. Using the technique of Rorschach inkblots, paint is dropped onto a sheet of paper and folded to create symmetrical yet abstract shapes. Inkblots are used by psychologists and psychiatrists to reveal an individual’s underlying emotional state and thought process. Inspired by this concept, Molonie mimics this technique with the addition of vibrant colors emphasizing the range of emotions humans experience. In doing so, this interactive piece calls on the audience to recollect their thoughts. Does it lean positively or negatively? The ambiguity of it leaves room for the audience to interpret and thereby reflect on any internal conflicts, change, betrayal, or a loss of connection with oneself or with others.
Molonie Rishilakram is an emerging New Media Arts artist who explores human connection and emotions using video to set a transformative scene that carries the audience into a place of self-reflection. Rishilakram uses autobiographical expressions in her projects to establish emotions and create a personal connection between her work and the audience. Her fascination with human interconnection was ignited by her migration from Guyana to New York where she left behind close-knit relationships and experienced a sense of isolation. Unwilling to accept her new reality, this transition caused a shift in her personality and a rift in building new relationships. Instead, she observed such connections through Asian television shows which influenced the perspective of her work focusing on a third-person point of view. Today, she uses art to dive into different kinds of human connections and emphasize their significance. In the graduating class of 2024, Molonie attends Baruch College majoring in Marketing Management and minoring in New Media Arts. Throughout her college experience, she has explored digital marketing in social media and music licensing.
Joel Bautista
Throughout my life it has been hard to identify thoroughly with my Bolivian roots. Not meeting another Bolivian classmate in school until college pushed me to identify more with being just a New Yorker. As time went on, I realized how important it was to learn from our ancestors.
My project takes native Bolivian mythology (of the sacred animals: the condor, the puma, and the snake) and connects it to my experience of growing up in New York. As the stories transition in my work, so do the characters within them. The condor transitions to a pigeon, puma to a cat, and the snake to a rat, symbolizing a rebirth and transition from Bolivia to New York. These animals then transition to a bland but familiar setting with no name. Its simple blue sky and green grass with a yellow sun refers to a park visually familiar to a lot of children’s books or even children’s drawings. In this last reincarnation the pigeon becomes the duck, the cat becomes the dog, and the rat becomes the worm. These generic animals and landscape symbolize an almost raw interpretation that is not held in place by setting like the preceding stories. Unlike the preceding two stories where the puma or the cat pass away for attacking the snake or the rat, the dog learns to make peace with the worm and does not die. Throughout the stories, the condor, pigeon, and duck are symbols of a messenger from the spirit world to the human world. This can also be seen as an introduction to higher knowledge or enlightenment. The puma, cat, and dog represent the self, just as people in Inca civilizations used to believe the puma represented the middle world (in respect to the higher world where the condor resided). The snake, rat, and worm represent the underground world. In Inca civilization (inhabitants of Bolivia from 1200-1533 AD), the snake also represents rebirth, as the snake sheds its skin and rises from the underground to the middle world. This cycle from the underground (snake), to the middle world (puma), to the spirit higher world (condor) ecompasses the life cycle through Inca mythology. In the stories, the snake, rat, and worm also represent the shadow. According to teachings of Carl Jung, a famous psychoanalyst, the shadow represents traits we as humans repress and are perhaps unaware of. Such traits are often looked down on when identified in other people as a way of self projection. It isn’t until an individual comes to terms with their shadow and becomes aware of its impact on the self that someone can know themselves thoroughly. “The enlargement of the light side of consciousness has the necessary consequence that the part of the psyche which is less light and less capable of consciousness is thrown into darkness to such an extent that sooner or later a rift occurs in the psychic system. At first, this is not recognized as such and is therefore projected – i.e. it appears as a religious projection, in the form of a split between the powers of Light and Darkness” (The Symbolism of the Spirit, Carl Jung).Joel is a 23-year-old artist from Woodhaven, Queens, New York. He is a self-taught artist with a focus on illustration in the style of children’s books, composing music, and creating abstract videos. He believes children’s books' minimalistic imagery, inclusivity, and relatability are what make them so special. His artwork uses these frameworks to dig into self-reflection and the question of identity with an emphasis on acceptance of the self. Through these simple yet abstract shapes and ideas, his works hope to help viewers come to terms with their own identity by experiencing glimpses into his world.