Senior Art Thesis

Rachel Cooley

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Being mortal is about the struggle to cope with the constraints of our biology, with the limits set by genes and cells and flesh and bone.

               Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,                                                                                   

                                                                        Atul Aawande

When I go to bed after a long day and press my ear against my pillow, I can sometimes hear the beating of my heart. At first, I do not notice it at all because it is a common sound, but after a few minutes I start to really listen, and I suddenly think, “What if my heart stopped beating!?” I am afraid of what might happen when it stops. Without my heart, what am I? Alarmed by these thoughts, I calm myself by taking deep breaths.

Not only is the heart the physical pump that keeps us alive, it also represents our emotional lives and mortality. Besides our physical selves, what else do we lose? To explore these recurring thoughts, I have combined traditional hand-drawn cel and digital animation techniques. The result is Cordium.

Back to Top