Sanura Calmiano
St Ives High School
SELF OBSESSED ANNIHILATION
Time-Based Forms
Digital art
My body of work examines the states of narcissism and echoism, based on the Greek myth of Narcissus and Echo. The cat represents a self-centred perception of the world, seeing everyone else as shadowy, with their faces blending into each other. The state of echoism is conveyed by the figure with a box obscuring their face as they believe they are so unimportant. The water imagery references Narcissus, who drowns in a lake as a result of self-obsession. My intention in my work was to illustrate the dangers of narcissism and echoism, where too much of either results in self-destruction.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the artist Tim Burton.
Marker's Commentary
Self-Obsessed Annihilation is a time-based animation that explores the Greek myth of Narcissus and Echo. This highly sophisticated body of work represents the self-obsessive and narcissistic traits of people through the black cat’s disregard for the tragic fate of the box head figure, which symbolises Echo. The cat is shunned by other people due to its egotism. The graphics morph and change to the cat being pursued by a devil dog and then drowning in the blue lake, recalling the myth of Narcissus. The cycle of self-obsession and annihilation is repeated, highlighting the inability to learn from the result of one’s actions. The carefully edited, stylistic rendering of graphics, dynamic movement and inclusion of audio effects engages the audience through this refreshing telling of a classic tale.