APH

   My work allows explores and challenges my own identity while commenting on generated popular culture. Through performance, video, sound, graphic design and social media, I develop several characters based off of trends in music, music videos, and pop culture. Research has led me to learn about everything from the ‘purveyors of pop’ to the ‘rebels of rock’. This includes an understanding of what has been seen or heard over the last five decades. Nostalgia is strong influence in how my work is displayed. I strive to invoke feelings of nostalgia in my viewers through the use of noticeable pop culture references. Each character I create stems from a different decade. Each character’s name is created by utilizing and rearranging letters in my full name. The monikers of the characters are meant to display connections to celebrities of the past. This asks the viewer to take a deeper look at our celebrity obsessed culture and expose how many of today’s celebrities are manufactured characters.

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   I begin with brainstorming ideas that intimidate me. I craft these ideas into personas that include sexually bold Alex Paul; or a fearless singer like Dale Hex. From there, I relate this character to a celebrity in the past or present. Their vocal ability, fashion sense, and mannerisms are taken into consideration. The era which I make them exist also affects the sound of their music and style. The music for each varies depending on their persona. A good example is how Alex Paul is more driven to create singles like “No Excuse to Dance” one of Alex Paul’s songs. Another is creating an entire thematic album like Dale Hex and “Bananas In The Bathtub”.

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  The artists that inspire me include Cindy Sherman and Nikki Lee who play many roles from author, to director, to model inform this work through the various parts they play. They have demonstrated that one can perform many positions and still be the main character in one's own work.

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  ALLURE MUSIC is my current and main focus. Creating characters, marketing the content out to the public and being active with social media has dominated the artistic process. The intent of Allure Music is to comment on how information, no matter how it is generated, can be given the sense of authenticism with social media and the internet. As Allure Music grows and expands, the viewers are left to wonder if Allure Music truly exists or if it is nothing more than a farce.