Submission Date

7-24-2026

Document Type

Paper

Department

Art

Faculty Mentor

Cari Freno

Comments

Presented during the 28th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 24, 2026 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

The cycle of visual culture, objects, and entertainment marketed to children changes rapidly. However, the objects, sounds, music, places and people we attach to as young people tend to hold weight in our lives and shape our understanding of the world. “Digital Age” is a series of paintings, sculptures and fiber works inspired by these feelings of nostalgia for a time that wasn’t really that long ago; around the late 2000’s – early 2010’s. I took this idea of nostalgia and represented it in different forms; both the images of me as a kid, alongside the objects I associate with this time. Media related to memory and nostalgia such as Twin Peaks, and The Truman Show, supplements my own experiences and inspires my research with other culturally relevant examples. Using these references, In these pieces, I toe the line between the warmth and joy of nostalgia and the eerie fragility of memory. I am interested in this subject specifically because of the symbolism I can use — for example, iconography like a Littlest Pet Shop figurine — feels very memorable to people of my generation. I am interested in how objects of the past induce unique memories from each viewer; the scents, sounds, stories, and people that an object can remind them of. Each piece tells a unique story based on the viewer’s interpretation.

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