Self Portrait

   

Bob Dylan's song "Stuck Inside Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" was chosen in order to portray a glimpse into a personal reference of myself. The song originates from the famous 1966 album "Blonde on Blonde," which marked an end to an era for Dylan. His sound became a brand of blues-rock, with an electric sound and even more surreal lyrics. The song specifically represents a time in which Dylan felt "stuck" in the folk music era. The city of Mobile was a huge circuit for the folk music scene and Memphis was a city in which rock and roll was beginning to escalate. The song represents a lifestyle that became dramatically chaotic and surreal. My installation is based on the lyrics that I personally connect to:

Now the bricks lay on Grand Street

Where the neon madmen climb.

They all fall there so perfectly 

It all seems so well timed.

An' here I sit so patiently

Waiting to find out what price

You have to pay to get out of going

Through all these things twice

Oh Mama can this really be the end,

To be stuck inside Mobile

With the Memphis blues again. 

This set of lyrics may reference to Allen Ginsberg, a personal friend of Dylan and well-known writer. Ginsberg's poem "Brick Layer's Lunch Hour" demonstrates a theory in how both Ginsberg and Dylan wrote. The poem and lyrics written are spontaneous, unpremeditated, and unrevised.

When approaching the sculpture, one can see their reflection in a mirror. A found object, a vintage birdcage, strung from above, stands in the way of the viewer's reflection. It is up to the viewer whether to continue to see themselves in a caged state. This sculpture demonstrates my life within the past year. I have chosen to take chances, be spontaneous, never plan too far ahead, and especially to never regret a single decision.