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Curiosity After Loss: A Junior Conceptual Project by Annaka Olson (2014)

I chose to base my project off of the line ''they took dirt and turned it to forest green'' I wrote in English class. My overall topic that I was exploring was ''curiosity as a result of loss''. I think curiosity is a powerful force for good. After losing something important it is easy to get caught up in your own problems, but curiosity allows people to regain interest in the rest of the world again. Curiosity allows people to explore issues in their communities, and issues in themselves. Through this project I tried to express how we can take the ''dirt (loss)'' in our own lives and through curiosity, turn it into a positive and a vehicle for change. I chose to express loss by using a black and white photograph of a fence. The fence represents how loss can cause people to become stuck inside their own problems, and not be able to explore outside issues. The picture of the figure on the grass represents the freedom that curiosity can bring. The image of the figure is split into sections and covers most of the fence representing the triumph of curiosity over loss.

I chose to use acrylic paint to create the blue organic shapes surrounding the kites. I chose to use acrylic paint because not only is it very vibrant and color-saturated, but also because it is very blendable when it is wet. I used embroidery floss to create kites which symbolize the freeing nature of curiosity. Embroidery floss is interesting because it is made of many different strands of thread combined to make a single strong thread. This could also be seen as a metaphor of many people coming together united by curiosity to create change in their respective communities. I also used blue watercolor paint in order to help the acrylic paint blend better into the rest of the project.
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