New World School of the Arts
Miami, FL
Score: 6

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Student Commentary:
What is the central idea of your concentration?
My concentration stems from my fascination with the ephemerality of human life. I am delighted when I find symbols of human abandonment; named found objects, yellowing paper, scribbled notes, th[r]ift store furniture and the like. Lately I have become an avid reader of Thomas Hardy, who uses nature as the background of a tragic web in his novels. From this reference, I came upon the symbol of insects as a parallel to the transient nature of existence.

How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific slides as examples.
My concentration started off as a study of the anatomical nature of flies and as an exploration of different media. The idea of ephemerality grew as I thought to “zoom” in on the insects. By the very end of my concentration I am using full-on scanning electron microscope images of specific insects. Work 2 is an image of a Drosophila Melanogaster, or fruit fly. These flies are most widely used in genetic research by human beings. The use of this specific insect emphasizes humans view of the minute, short-lived organism out of the context of their own minute, short lives. Each row of images roughly represents the development of the clarification of my concept of ephemerality appreciated through the magnification of fleeting biological organisms.