Date of Graduation

Spring 2023

Degree

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies

Department

Art and Design

Committee Chair

Colby Jennings

Abstract

I invite empathy through art that is technologically assisted to find alternative interpretations for nontheologically informed faith. The sudden passing of my dearest friend, Jimmy, encouraged me to dig through my archives of data, to cherish all the bytes that remain of him. In this endeavor, I find that death is not the end, but a post-physical state of being. I express this sentiment in a part from you, where the work utilizes inanimate constructs to place your faith in, to make sense of the complexities of grief in a digitally tethered way of life. This life that allows many states of being and celebrates an idea of existing in many placeless places. This work is my wish for those who are mending their spirits, as I am—to find hope in the bits of data we cherish (digitally and internally) and sustain beautiful sentiments beyond physicality.

Keywords

grief, digital, immaterial, internet, techno-animism, contemporary art, nature, installation, light

Subject Categories

American Material Culture | American Popular Culture | Art Practice | Audio Arts and Acoustics | Digital Humanities | Fine Arts | Interactive Arts | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Other Film and Media Studies | Other Music | Photography | Sculpture

Copyright

© Kenneth Rick Briggenhorst Jr

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Open Access

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