Collage: Ensemble

“Ensemble in NYC,” 9″X12″, Acrylic painting on canvas board

With the shuddering sound of window, another symphony of exotic languages flowed into my ears. I suddenly realized that there were twenty people on the bus using twenty different languages, but all heading toward one direction. I was in the middle of New York City, the salad bowl of cultures. I could see “India” from a colorful Kurta of a lady in front of me. I could hear “China” from two Chinese guys on the left. All different cultures blended into this city and created something new and sensational: the New York style.

Becoming a part of this vibrant community for five years, I always enjoyed the richness of cultural diversity. Interacting with the people out of my culture and learning how to respect theirs became a vital learning experience. However, as much as I loved the positive energy from the exchanges of thoughts and cultures every day, I could also witness so many collisions of different ideas and opinions. On the bus, at school, at home, I thought hard on this undefined society where numerous hidden conflicts and misconception reside as much as the cultural diversity itself.  When my thoughts reached the idea of social discord, I was finally came to realization about the significance of maintaining social harmony.

I decided to express an “ensemble” through my collage. All of us, the New Yorkers, are the instruments of a symphonic orchestra. Everyday, we run into a variety of random situations as if we are improvising a song on the stage. Each one of us has a distinctive voice and feelings. We are already aware that our voices are different from each other and do not instantly blend into a harmony due to our differences in political view, religious belief, or cultural background. Amazingly, somehow all those social discords are accepted and ultimately transformed into the harmony in New York City. I would like to express such transformation, the moment when “You” and “I” become “We.”  This idea may seem trite and futile. Nonetheless, we should consider why it became so worn-out: it is because we haven’t witnessed the truthful moment of “ensemble” yet.

In order to convey this thought in my collage, I used old, yet analog approach: cutting and pasting photos, painting, and drawing. I’m a firm believer in the old school. Most importantly, I believe in the power of analog sentimentalism. I cut and pasted various types of two dimensional art works on a piece of paper including photos of the city’s skyline, paintings, and drawings. Torn paper edges and carelessly painted ambiguous figures may be seen as out-of-style and even irrational to the chic New Yorkers. The night-view of a busy highway became the head part of a cello and Times Square became the tailpiece. The acute lines of computer graphics cannot easily replace the warm and unique atmosphere of a two dimensional artwork created by the rough brush touches and dramatic colors.

I personally consider creating a collage as a process of gathering and organizing my own ideas into a clearer form. The scattered blobs of thoughts, which might have been nothing significant, can transform into an entirely different creation. For this elaborate process requiring both creativity and novelty, I believe traditional style of “cutting and pasting” is more suitable than just “copying and pasting” the image digitally.