When Prophesy Fails
In the wake of the capital insurrection of January 6th, 2021, I developed an interest in the evolution of conspiratorial thought and the role of social media in such developments. Focusing on the alt-right group, QAnon, this collection asks viewers to critically reflect on the appeal of these ideologies and recognize its effect on the real world.
Dissonance Rationalization
60” x 72”
Fleece, cotton, natural dye
"Dissonance Rationalization" is a 36 panel quilt, sewing together screenshots of alt-right social media posts created by advocates of the QAnon conspiracy. Collected from the social media network Gab, the work primarily documents a variety of responses to the "failed prophesy" that Donald Trump would arrest various members of "the deep state" in the final days of his presidency, and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The title of both this piece and the collection reference a classic study in social psychology. In converting appropriated text into a functional object, the movement is framed as fulfilling a real need in the psyche of these victims. The choice to take the form of a quilt references the search for security and comfort that attracts vulnerable individuals to these movements, as well as its appeal to those seeking community.
Excommunion
24” x 36”
Photograph
This photograph of an image physically altered with bleach is part a collection titled "When Prophesy Fails." The images focuses on the isolation that both feeds conspiratorial beliefs and is perpetuated by conspiratorial beliefs. The kitchen table, a place which represents community with those closest to us, is damaged and harder to return to, pushing individuals further away, damaging it further in a devastating cycle.