Emmie Guy
Breaking The Pattern.
In longing for connection we can become so far removed from ourselves that we begin to survey our whole life, so it looms over our every action.
Breaking The Pattern is an exploration of connection vs. conformity, utilising movement and performance as a tool to break free from the patterns of social normality. I believe I've always isolated myself from making connections, avoiding risks of new experiences and relationships. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, every day seems to play on a perpetual loop, and with no interference to the pattern the result is a very tedious merging of time. In response to the abrupt lifestyle changes of the pandemic, I long for social connection more than ever. However, in longing for connection it is often easy to sacrifice personal values to fit social norms. Conformity is contradictory in that it both bonds us together and isolates us by eliminating belief and diversity. By giving in to the pressure of conformity, the world becomes static and artificial. We become an army of duplicate imitations.
As physically and mentally demanding as this project was in creating hundreds of desolate versions of myself, it always brings me joy to express emotion through my body. Though it's often a struggle to break free from the comfort of conformity, performance has always been a great expression of freedom where I can make connections whilst maintaining my own values.
Breaking The Pattern, 2020
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Breaking The Pattern-Draft, 2020
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