Image Description: In my research, I came across the negative impact of technology on our modern society. Although smartphones and social media connect millions of their users virtually, real face-to-face interactions in physical spaces are becoming rare occurrences. In addition, technology accelerates individuals to be forced, controlled, and uniformed under social institutions, customs, and socially oriented values. Such negative aspects reminded me of artificially produced shaded ice cubes in the freezer, which aspired me to paint this abstraction following Peter Halley’s idea that the interrelationship between parts in a work of art is more important than their individual symbolic identity. Through my abstract painting, I tried to express a hostile society, generalized by the cold and uniformed characteristics of ice cubes through the repetition of their forms. In addition, the individual ice cube with vertical edges symbolizes the isolated individuals of such a cold society where it is forced, controlled, and produced in a uniform form by advancements in technology. Thus, my work hopefully portrays the relentless competition that drives the nature of society, making this world a dry and cold place like mingled ice poured out of a freezer, which represents such a negative landscape of modern society.

Why did you conduct this research? I tried to express a hostile society, generalized by the cold and uniformed characteristics of ice cubes through the repetition of their forms. In addition, the individual ice cube symbolizes the isolated individuals of such a cold society where it is forced, controlled, and produced in a uniform form by technology like a freezer, following Peter Haley’s definition of abstraction; the idea that the interrelationship between parts in a work of art is more important than their individual symbolic identity.

Technique: Through the blue hue of the acrylic medium and short and vertical brushstrokes, I tried to describe the transparent and square characteristics of ice cubes. To achieve a sense of balance, repetition, and harmony, I repeated the cube forms to fill the entirety of the 36 inch by 30 inch sized canvas. The repetition of the blue colour and shapes create an overall unified and balanced composition, without isolating one specific focal point.

Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge Professor Shirley Wiitasalo for her advice on my project.