I first conceptualized this piece after realizing how much time had elapsed standing in front of my mirror, shaking my hands and pacing. I was on borrowed time completing my proposal, so it seemed fitting that I represent the shared challenges people face with Stereotypic Movement Disorder. Often, those afflicted experience repetitive movements, sometimes feeling so immersed in their thoughts that they don’t register their environment. I have a conflicted view of these episodes; they rob me of valuable time, but support my creative process. In contrast to reality, my work aims to connect the physical environment with the controlled frenetic energy felt internally.

Textured, slightly warped, and exaggerated in values, my piece presents as somewhat surreal. I obscured the identity of the figure, fogging the mirror with condensation to make them anonymous and relatable. Affected individuals often have the ability to compensate in public, so the viewer could be viewing a representation of someone they know without knowing it.

The result of connecting the internal with the physical is tactile. I built up the surface with acrylic paint, gel, paste, pumice, paper pulp, and filled the remainder with resin. The resin’s metallic impurities portray an electrified environment. A private event- isolated, yet exposed.