A selection of 4 installations neatly occupy a corner of the
Center for Experimental Media Arts Gallery (CEMA). Starting from the left to right is a video projection playing on loop, a sculpture made with books and a spray can covered in tape. Above these is a kinetic sculpture with red and blue tape stretched from wall to wall fluttering in the wind. A black tape line flows between all the pieces tying them together.
The project is centered around an exploration of the word ‘flow’. A collection of artworks were developed pushing the concept of flow physically and philosophically. From the project, Untitled 1, Untitled 2, Untitled 3 and Untitled 4 were selected to be exhibited at CEMA.
Untitled 1
A video of a canister of water with red paint being poured into it is projected on a white wall. The silent 2:04 minute long video plays on loop. Graceful swirls of colour diffuse lazily into the water.
Untitled 1 documents the artist’s first expression of ‘flow’; as a liquid. The movement of the fluids was limited by their controlled environment. The contrast between the contained execution of the study against the free-flowing nature of the liquids leave the exploration craving for more freedom.
Untitled 3
Smooth lines of colored tape are pulled taut from one wall to another. Two ceiling fans cause the ribbons of tape to erratically flutter. From time to time the sticky sides of the tape move dangerously close to each other threatening to stop the flow.
Untitled 3 encapsulates the concept of Laminar Flow. Laminar Flow is characterized by fluid particles following smooth paths in layers with little or no mixing between adjacent layers. This site specific work imitated a cross section of a pipe and was shaped from the two recessed niches in the wall. Initially inspired by the movement of water particles, Untitled 3 was a technical entry point towards ‘flow’.
Untitled 2
Amber light radiates from a row of academic books on a pedestal. Elongated quills of paper snake out from them. The illumination highlights individual words on the quills.
The sculpture enshrines a moment that sends readers into new worlds where narratives seem to effortlessly flow out of pages. Slivers of calming light escape from the book, alluring viewers to it’s contents. Untitled 2 was inspired by the power of storytelling to create immersive, flow-state experiences.
Untitled 4
An aerosol can frozen mid-spray stands upright on a pedestal. The sculpture is constructed from aluminum sheet and binding wire. Black lines of tape wrap around the can and continue downward onto the pedestal.
Untitled 4 was both an origin and culmination of the inquiry around ‘flow’. An aerosol can was the initial inspiration to study the flow of water particles. Further experiments revealed deeper meanings for ‘flow’, the most impactful of which was that of being in a creative ‘flow state’.
In his book ‘Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience’, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined a flow state as “an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what they are doing”.
This definition of ‘flow’ as a state of being led to an artwork created using Surrealist Automatism. In this site specific work, the black tape lines were made using this technique. The tape began from the can, moved down to the pedestal and across the whole exhibition. The only constraint to making the artwork were the rolls of tape. When the tape finished, the flow state ended and the artwork was complete.
‘Flow’ was a 2 month long dissertation project that concluded my diploma program in ‘Art & Design’ with a specialisation in ‘Contemporary Art Practice’ at Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology. This project impacted the way I lived my life and gave me a purpose to continue working in the field of contemporary art.
Ask yourself if you are going with the flow and you will cease to be so. You are in a flow by being immersed with every detail, good or bad. Flow cannot be pursued; it must ensue.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Sashawhyy 
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