Collected Item: “homestyle melancholy”
Your name/Nombre y apellido(s)?
Ciera Maas
What kind of item would you like to submit?/¿Qué tipo de artículo quiere donar?
Image/Imagen
Title of your submission?/¿Título de su entrega?
homestyle melancholy
Date created?/¿En qué fecha se creado?
10/17/2021
Your submission will be published online. Would you like for it to be anonymous?/¿Le gustaría que se publicara su historia de manera anónima en líneo/online?
Yes
Place of residence?/Lugar de residencia?
Fleming Hall ECU
Please write a short description of your submission./Escriba, por favor, una descripción breve de su historia (entrega).
I had been thinking about this project for weeks and had wanted to come up with something meaningful yet simple. I used a KN95 mask, my iPhone, and my front yard at home in Wendell, NC. The example image of the man with the German medical mask is what inspired my portrait. But more importantly, Covid-19 inspired this portrait. When I first started reading about this assignment, I didn’t realize the mask assignment was directly related to COVID. I thought it could’ve meant a masquerade mask or really any kind of mask. The mask I chose is known to be one of the best protective masks that there is and it is definitely a mask that I would wear in public. This mask represents my identity in many ways. Because this is one of the most protective masks that there is, I think that it is symbolic and ironic because my life has been unprotected and risky. Masks are supposed to provide security and safety and I feel that this is a reflection of what life wasn’t always for me. I have had a privileged but very difficult life that contradicts itself, I know. I grew up out of the country and lived as a minority and dealt with many things that severed my security and safety as a person. This makes up so much of who I am. I have lived so long feeling not secure and not safe; both emotionally and physically. This also conveys Covid-19 in so many ways. I picked the mask to represent myself: simple yet gives the illusion of security. And the background represents Covid-19 when it started. Coronavirus has had such an impact on all of us in more ways than one, but it all started when we were asked to quarantine at home. Home is where most of us thought that this virus would only last a month or two but in reality, has lasted close to two years. We thought we would be protected and that the issue would be quickly resolved. I think this also symbolizes how I have dealt with Covid because it has grown my love for my family and desire to spend time with them at home. I know it became annoying to be at home so much and not have the freedom to leave, but it gave me a greater love for home because this is one of the few things that have given me security over the course of my life.
I took a black and white photo because I think it makes it feel timeless. I feel that covid has given us all a sense of timelessness because of how it has warped time in our lives. I think it is aesthetically pleasing because it is black and white but also because the background is blurred in comparison to me being focused in the center of the image. I think this is unique because instead of choosing to think extravagantly, I thought simply. I thought outside of the box by doing things simpler than I thought most people would. It represents how I have chosen to grow closer to home although I’ve moved further away to school. I think the mask itself represents the security I’ve grown to feel even though the world is so unsecure with everything going on. This image is ultimately artistic because it is a paradox.
In order to contribute, you must read and agree to the terms and conditions. I am submitting a digital file related to my COVID-19 related experiences on my own behalf. I grant East Carolina University Academic Library Services permission to include my submission in a publicly available online collection. I understand that my submission shall be made available to the public for original research, subject to no limitations or qualifications. I retain the copyright to my works./Para poder contribuir debe leer y aceptar los términos y condiciones. Aquí en mi propio nombre presento un archivo digital relacionado con mis experiencias durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Con éste les doy permiso a los Servicios Académicos de la Biblioteca (Academic Library Services) de East Carolina University para que incluyan mi entrega en una colección online abierta al público. Entiendo que mi presentación estará disponible al público para investigación original y no estará sujeta a restriccionés ni reservas. Mantengo, asimismo, propiedad intelectual de mis obras.
Yes/Sí