Jessica Dunn: Particular Fragments
April 5- May 26, 2024
Most of us live in a world of constant noise and overstimulation, fragmenting our own perception and memory. Information (and misinformation) overload has forever changed the human experience thanks to constant access to the Internet. Instead of living in the moment, we are constantly challenged by the temptation of filling the void with seconds-long dopamine boosts reinforced by our personal algorithms in our artificial digital worlds.
The past few years, I have felt stuck in a technological loop with the hypnotic Pavlovian itch to check notifications while absorbing more and more data for better or worse. Now more than ever, it is difficult for me to cut through the noise. I feel as though I am constantly pulled in a million directions all at once. As an artist who both loves and loathes technology, I have been examining my connection to devices and the ways I filter reality through screens. The rapid influx of information I face daily seems to blur reality, leaving me with a longing for a simpler past.
While challenging my own tech-dependency, I have been reconnecting to nostalgic devices and media from my childhood and incorporating them into my practice. The first time-based content I ever experienced and created as a child was all on film and tape - 35mm film photography, VHS, and cassettes. Lately, I have been creating cassette tape loops, filming and distorting VHS tapes, and manipulating 35mm film to produce animations. Working with these tactile processes unlocked an explosion of memories, from those more distant and abstract to others more recent and clear. For this exhibition, I present this collection of memories as Particular Fragments.
Particular Fragments invites viewers to explore themes of time, memory, and consciousness through multisensory installations incorporating video and sound. With projection mapped videos, soundscapes, and interactive art, Dunn embeds personal moments inspiring the viewer to unlock and share memories of their own.
About the Artist
Jessica Dunn (sesseka) is a multimedia artist known for her immersive, dreamlike worlds combining video, sound, and physical installations. With a scientific curiosity, she finds inspiration by investigating the natural world as well as psychological realms of consciousness. Dunn graduated from Herron School of Art + Design with a double major in painting and sculpture. Caught between 2D and 3D practices, she found her calling in 4D art including experimental animation, performance, and experiential works. With a medium-agnostic mindset, Dunn utilizes a wide variety of materials allowing the concept to drive the process. Lately, Dunn has extended her practice into filmmaking including short documentaries and narrative animations. No matter the format, Dunn’s work invites the viewer to open their perception to explore new realms of reality.
This exhibition was made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Ruth Arts Foundation, Herron School of Art and Design, Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Efroymson Family Fund and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.