Running from Wonderland
Artist Statement
When we are children, we dare to dream big. We can go from being an astronaut, to an olympic gold medalist, to a slayer of dragons all in a day. For children, anything is possible.Untainted by the harshness of reality, they get to live in sweet ignorance - they get to dream. Unfortunately, for many people one day, a switch is flipped. Some call it a “wake up call,” some may call it “growing up.” However you would like to phrase it, the story is the same. We stop dreaming. Jaded by tragedy or betrayal, heartbreak or loss, we begin to let go of that spirit of imagination we once possessed when we were young. I am competing for the Wonderland Awards because it offers a unique opportunity to reconnect with everything dreamy, whimsy, and nonsensical. The spirit of Lewis Carrol is one of deep exploration, and of shattering the norms of society. His most known book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, quite literally takes reality and turns it on its head.
This piece is about daring to dream. In a world with harsh realities, sometimes I feel like my own dreams are far away. I fall into the trap of being as practical as possible, as to minimize the casualties life might throw my way. However, this piece is a reclamation of my wildest aspirations. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to travel the world. However, there is so much fear, pain, instability, and uncertainty today that my superego constantly reminds me of the impossibility of this dream.
I grew up reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and if there is one thing that stood out to me it is Alice’s strength, courage, and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. I wanted to be her, to experience what she experienced. I wanted to go on wild adventures, meet new people, and overcome challenges of my own. Alice’s growth and fortitude inspired me to draw her figure, with a depiction of my younger self in her place, and imagine what it would mean for me to walk through Wonderland. Before the pandemic, or the bills, or the responsibilities, my younger self could daydream of walking the streets of Italy, or exploring the landscapes of South Africa. As we get older, we tend to suppress our dreams in the name of fear, and my hope is for this piece to address that.
I was inspired mainly by the images within the G. Edward Cassady, M.D., and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N., Lewis Carroll Collection. There is this collection of glass plate negatives of the original manuscript of Alice's Adventures. The drawings and doodles on the original manuscript all had this sketch-like quality. I wanted to pay homage to that with the subject of my drawing, while adding my own personal and contemporary twist. In my research I also learned that Carol was a photographer in his own rite, as well. I hope that my images of different landscapes would not only depict their meaning for my personal dream, but also uplift Lewis Carol’s artistic spirit.
For my final piece, I made the last minute decision to use mixed media (graphite, charcoal, and printed digital images on paper). I wanted to make the dream/vision board section of the piece in color, to represent the vibrance of childhood dreams. It was important to me to be able to communicate that in the clearest way I could think of, so collage seemed to be the perfect fit for this drawing. The final piece consists of two separate pieces that have been attached together. I wanted to experiment with layering and using multiple mediums. The girl is meant to have a seemingly calm facade, with the juxtaposition of the vibrant images behind her. I did this to show how behind the guise of practicality, people often have vibrant, exciting, and unpredictable dreams and passions.
For me, this piece is a reminder to stop running from what is inside our heads and inside our hearts. Perhaps sometimes we should simply fall unassumingly down the rabbit hole. It is certainly possible that a most curious and spectacular adventure awaits us.
