Exhibition Information

Betwixt Broadcasting
April 3-9, 2014

Nicole Torrey's BFA Thesis Exhibition

Please note:  this exhibition was held in the east wing of the reonovated gallery space in the Dowd Fine Arts Center on campus (Graham Avenue and Prospect Terrace).

Artist's Statement 

My visual research is a self-assessment of my connection with television. Through this research I want to determine why I watch television and how it affects me. What makes television so addictive? What compels me to continue watching on a daily basis? I conducted an experiment to answer these questions. The body of work in this exhibition is the result of this experiment.

While viewing my weekly television programs, I illustrated my initial thoughts on fabric with pen. This illustration is captured in a time-lapse video O.O.V—Out Of Vision. From the drawings, TV Diary, I came to the conclusion that I use television as an escape. This escape allows me to get away from everyday stress and allow my mind to wander through the endless possibilities in my imagination. Escapism is defined as, “the habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity on entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.” (1) Television is that little escape from reality I need each day to relax and just let all my problems fade away, even if it’s only for an hour.

Through embroidery and textile I create unique worlds that bring individual scenes of TV Diary to life. With the combination of textured embroidery merged with surface design, commercial cloth as well as my own unique designs, I have created a narrative for each piece in this series, bringing creatures to life and telling their story. In addition, each piece expresses a quirky yet slightly twisted personality that helps define the genera of television I watch as well as the type of television that serves the transition into an escapist state of mind. With these narratives my escape is complete.

Nicole Torrey