EE: What is your piece about?
ES: “So the concept of my piece is about empathizing with other people and the process of getting hurt and then healing from those wounds. So I was thinking about how [the phrase] ‘bleeding hearts’ can be used to describe people who are very sympathetic and lack empathy from other people. And so I liked that meaning because it kind of represents the concept. My piece is literally about hearts bleeding because that has to do with blood and the healing process and the IV tubes that I use. They’re supposed to represent how you can share blood to heal.”
EE: What was your process for making this piece?
ES: “I have four forms, and they’re kinda in a lopsided diamond shape. And they’re supposed to represent people’s hearts. I used paper to represent the fragility of our hearts and how easily we can be hurt by others, which is also represented by the holes because they’re supposed to represent how you get hurt. So I use red paint and tinge to the edges of each hole with red to represent how your heart is bleeding. I think other people being there to support you really helps you heal and so I use these clear IV tubes and filled them with, water and red dye to represent the blood been shared between people and that’s supposed to represent you have these holes that appear in a sheet but then over time, they’ll heal.”
EE: Why did you choose to make an installation over a 2D artwork?
ES: “I think I wanted to branch out and try something different I’ve never done before, because before that I used to work a lot in 2D mediums like painting and drawing, right? But then I wanted to I just liked the fact that you can physically see it and walk around. And so I think I started off intending to make something three-dimensionally and then I arrived at this idea and concept and how does the concept of a bleeding heart tie into NUMU’s theme, which is transition.”
EE: How does your piece connect to the theme “In Transition?”
ES: “I think that you’re always in transition in life. Part of my idea was that you’re always gonna get hurt by people but at the same time, you’re always healing from those wounds and other people help you to heal from that or you can use your past experiences of being hurt to help other people heal from their pain or suffering. So I think I wanted to capture that you’re always in transition between those two states of being hurt and healing from it.”
