Bonds Unburnt
2019
Rope, Steel, Scented candles, Burnt Wood, Various Items
12 x 6'
Artists: Jose Castillo, Peter Moen, Tiffany Seav
Curated by Lance M. Fung
The Bonds Unburnt exhibition is meant to embody the connections we have with other people, and relate those connections to the tragic California fires of 2018. The exhibition attempts to express our horror at the tragic Camp and Mendocino Complex Fires of last year. One of the main ideas for this exhibition is the Japanese “red string of fate” legend. It states that we are each connected to another person, whom we are destined to meet, with an invisible red string. We use orange string to symbolize the fires and our connection to those affected. It becomes a powerful symbol of the fact that most of us will experience a natural disaster. Each time it happens, we feel a connection to the people affected.
After an event like this, the atmosphere itself becomes a constant reminder of the tragedy that took place thanks to the overwhelming smell of smoke. That smell lingers for months, and leaves the affected area a health hazard long after the flames are extinguished, and even clings to clothing, so that reminder travels with you. By recreating a scent in the ART KIOSK atmosphere, Bonds Unburnt hopes to strengthen the theme of connection by giving the audience some semblance of what experiencing the fires was like.
Strings are used as a symbol of the fires combined with charred wood and personal items from the artists and donations from Redwood City residents. These comprise the main sculptural hourglass form. The sculpture consumes the space by being 12 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. Two rings of steel will create the top and bottom. There will be a smaller ring in the middle. Many strings will connect the rings. The created basket at the middle of the hourglass will embrace the personal items and the charred wood will be on the ground under the hourglass. The wood element was carefully transported from the site of the Rim fire near Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite, 2013. Luckily there were no fatalities in that fire. The artist use light to enhance the exhibition’s mood after dark by creating anti-shadows: light seen through the string from the outside.
The personal items we have all contributed to the exhibition are things which we considered somewhat unique to our own lives. We all felt very sad when thinking about the tragedy, and we all wanted to express that sadness in this exhibition. We hope it will somehow help those suffering.
About the Artists
Jose Castillo
Jose Castillo is a current San Jose State University student finishing out his Bachelors of Arts. His desire to create is fueled by a desire to maintain a connection to childhood and leave the world a kinder place than when he found it. He believes that societal tendencies to view children’s passions and imagination as things they should outgrow are among the leading causes of adult misery in his generation. As such, the main goal of his artwork ranges from drawing to painting to printmaking is to inspire audiences to abandon arbitrary limitations on their own happiness and challenge the worldviews and institutions that put them up.
Tiffany Seav
Tiffany Seav graduated from San Jose State University of Spring 2019 where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Pictorial Arts. Many of Seav’s artworks question whether humanity still exists or not; for Seav, she wants to give up and reject her humanity. Seav is skeptical and doubtful whether humans will ever put aside one’s differences and work together; however, Seav still has reserved a small aspect of hope while observing and watching what will happen to humans as they proceed forward. Seav explores her art making through painting, printmaking, screen-printing, design, sculpture, and interest in theatre
acting.
2019
Rope, Steel, Scented candles, Burnt Wood, Various Items
12 x 6'
Artists: Jose Castillo, Peter Moen, Tiffany Seav
Curated by Lance M. Fung
The Bonds Unburnt exhibition is meant to embody the connections we have with other people, and relate those connections to the tragic California fires of 2018. The exhibition attempts to express our horror at the tragic Camp and Mendocino Complex Fires of last year. One of the main ideas for this exhibition is the Japanese “red string of fate” legend. It states that we are each connected to another person, whom we are destined to meet, with an invisible red string. We use orange string to symbolize the fires and our connection to those affected. It becomes a powerful symbol of the fact that most of us will experience a natural disaster. Each time it happens, we feel a connection to the people affected.
After an event like this, the atmosphere itself becomes a constant reminder of the tragedy that took place thanks to the overwhelming smell of smoke. That smell lingers for months, and leaves the affected area a health hazard long after the flames are extinguished, and even clings to clothing, so that reminder travels with you. By recreating a scent in the ART KIOSK atmosphere, Bonds Unburnt hopes to strengthen the theme of connection by giving the audience some semblance of what experiencing the fires was like.
Strings are used as a symbol of the fires combined with charred wood and personal items from the artists and donations from Redwood City residents. These comprise the main sculptural hourglass form. The sculpture consumes the space by being 12 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. Two rings of steel will create the top and bottom. There will be a smaller ring in the middle. Many strings will connect the rings. The created basket at the middle of the hourglass will embrace the personal items and the charred wood will be on the ground under the hourglass. The wood element was carefully transported from the site of the Rim fire near Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite, 2013. Luckily there were no fatalities in that fire. The artist use light to enhance the exhibition’s mood after dark by creating anti-shadows: light seen through the string from the outside.
The personal items we have all contributed to the exhibition are things which we considered somewhat unique to our own lives. We all felt very sad when thinking about the tragedy, and we all wanted to express that sadness in this exhibition. We hope it will somehow help those suffering.
About the Artists
Jose Castillo
Jose Castillo is a current San Jose State University student finishing out his Bachelors of Arts. His desire to create is fueled by a desire to maintain a connection to childhood and leave the world a kinder place than when he found it. He believes that societal tendencies to view children’s passions and imagination as things they should outgrow are among the leading causes of adult misery in his generation. As such, the main goal of his artwork ranges from drawing to painting to printmaking is to inspire audiences to abandon arbitrary limitations on their own happiness and challenge the worldviews and institutions that put them up.
Tiffany Seav
Tiffany Seav graduated from San Jose State University of Spring 2019 where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Pictorial Arts. Many of Seav’s artworks question whether humanity still exists or not; for Seav, she wants to give up and reject her humanity. Seav is skeptical and doubtful whether humans will ever put aside one’s differences and work together; however, Seav still has reserved a small aspect of hope while observing and watching what will happen to humans as they proceed forward. Seav explores her art making through painting, printmaking, screen-printing, design, sculpture, and interest in theatre
acting.