Miranda Cala

Vulnerability is the state of being exposed. The nude figures within ambiguous settings, combined with the use of paper as a fragile material, reflect the ways vulnerability manifests itself. In this body of work, I explore the effects of vulnerability on the physical, emotional, and mental being. The postures of the nude figures suggest a sense of defenselessness: the forms are physically uncovered, unprotected and emotionally exposed. The color palette suggests various emotional states triggered by vulnerability. The incorporation of paper further personifies this emotional exposure since the paper itself is a fragile material that can be easily manipulated or destroyed. The folded paper echoes the lines of the folded figures, mimicking those poses of defensiveness, exhaustion, or isolation. The accumulation of paper in multiple colors implies the overwhelming emotional toll of vulnerability. The varying depth and texture created by the placement of the folded paper signals the unknowingness of the future and the paths that may or may not be followed. Ultimately, the creation of this body of work was both cathartic and therapeutic – simultaneously expressing and controlling my own feelings of vulnerability.

Sleep is defined as a recurring condition of rest for the body and mind – a state of little or no conscious thought. Yet when we sleep, our subconscious mind is busy conjuring visions called ‘dreams’ that may delight, horrify, confuse or enlighten us – but only if we remember them upon waking. In a deliberate effort to remember my dreams, I created a dream diary by hastily recording my recollections at each moment of waking, over a two-year period. The works displayed here, collectively titled, Dream Dwellings, are abstract interpretations of entries from my dream diary.

I first thought that my dream diary would reveal stark contrasts between wakefulness and sleep, reality and fantasy, clarity and ambiguity. Instead, I discovered a continuous relationship between my conscious and subconscious: I dwell in both worlds. Using watercolor, I am exploring the relationship between my conscious and subconscious.

My use of watercolor, with bleeding, layering and dripping of one color into another color, expresses the fluidity of my dreams, how they evolve from one ‘scene’ or emotion to another. The quick manner of some of the brush strokes depicts the fleeting nature of dreams. The use of negative space represents the elusive nature of my dreams, which are often inexplicable and open to interpretation.

The sculpture represents the attributes of both worlds. The wire form is structured—like the knowable, waking realm, while the flowing, transparent fabric, reminiscent of a nightgown, symbolizes the ethereal nature of dreams. Suspended in mid-air, the form moves freely and represents that dreams can manifest themselves seemingly out of nothing, often leaving us hanging and left to interpret their meanings.