sofie van natta 

In starting this project I bought the entire Judy Blume box set, later realizing how ambitious it would be to try and re-read every 100+ page YA novel. I did end up reading about half of Are You There God It’s Me Margaret and realized where my romanticization of sunny suburban discomfort was born. I later moved on to Bluets by Maggie Nelson and The White Album by Joan Didion, at one point carrying all three in my already too-heavy backpack. I continued my relentless habit of never finishing a single book, but switching between multiple until I got too bored, and in doing so I connected Blume and Didion’s vague and nearly melancholic connection to religion and identity. Though I’d never self identify myself as a “reader”, these two authors, the time I spent reading them, and the time in between feels similar to the guiding idea behind my installation. It’s meant to illustrate my adolescence, both celebrating it and offering personal condolences to myself as I near an ending. 

This project consists of a shmorgesboard of materials; most were found, recycled and repurposed to create a snapshot of static moments, lived and imagined, that illustrate both neutral and emotional energy. I spent weeks switching between painting and constructing a large wooden frame, which Bethany and Jen were extremely helpful in, and shifting my attention towards smaller, detailed dioramas and photo transfer pieces. This process was very physically involved, from being perched and crouched inside the wooden piece in the old library to sitting on my bathroom floor, covered in olive oil, casting pieces of my body. I worked inside, above and around this piece, trying to reflect where I’ve been and how I’ve changed.