Body in Pain
Bruce Little, major professor; Bruce Little, Patricia Walker, Julie McGuire, Eun Sook Lee, committee members
Abstract
The artwork produced for this thesis examines pain from three primary perspectives: medical, psycho-physiological, and metaphysical. From a medical standpoint pain is explored as a phenomenon which exists beneath the surface and invisible to others. From a psycho-physiological perspective the distorted perceptions of our body can be seen while in pain, to the extent that pain may be felt in areas which are not injured or diseased. From a metaphysical standpoint perspective pain prompts us to question our existence in this world as well as the space our mind inhabits in a transcendental context. Humans create understanding by fragmenting pain into dichotomous relationships. The dichotomizing nature of human understanding led me to explore the perceptions of the internal and external of the body we have. Personal pain acts as my starting point to create art which better helps me understand the human condition.
