(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2019) Willard, Alyssa Riann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jim Zimpel
When I explore my surroundings, I often wonder about what we can never truly know. My studio practice serves as an outlet for my questions, and I expect it to generate more questions than answers. I have questions about origins, the unknown future, and the interactions between matter and energy. In conjunction with this written thesis I created works that will be displayed as my MFA thesis show in the Helen E. Copeland Gallery. These works are responses to my research into various energy forces, which stems from my collaborations with Montana State University's Physics Department. My primary interest this year has been electromagnetism which is the study of the interactions between electricity, magnetism and light. But I am also interested in how electromagnetism connects to other forces such as gravity and sound, and how these various systems follow patterns that are very similar to fractal patterns found in nature. There is a lack of knowledge when it comes to what connects various forces to others, which stimulates my interest in the interactions between them. My current questions have led me to the conclusion that invisible forces connect and influence all things.
