Over and Over Again (2012)
Over and Over Again (2012)
Working in a combination of digital and handmade media, Stacia Yeapanis explores the emotional and existential significance of repetition in daily life. She uses the conceptual strategies of accumulation, collection, appropriation and remix, because these strategies are inherently connected to existential methods of meaning-making. The collection and accumulation of ubiquitous materials emphasizes time and the endurance required to exist from moment to moment. Appropriation and remix reveal the ways we choose to make our lives meaningful, even when we didn’t choose the circumstances in which we live. The endless repetition of simple, unskilled tasks evokes the spiritual predicament of Sisyphus, who, because he tried to evade Death, was condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity. His existence seems futile. The boulder will always roll back down the hill. He will always roll it back up again. But, like us, his only option to avoid suffering is to decide that his task is meaningful.
This project is partially supported by a Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.