Jessica Swank

“All We Could Be” focuses on the skin as a corporeal boundary between the human body and the rest of the world. Metaphorically, the skin functions as a boundary between humans and digital technology within my work. This series depicts what the loss of that boundary would look like, within the framework that our connections and relationships operate similarly to the way a forest functions. The interconnectivity of mycelium and fungi, the way the trees grow and decay, and the growth and and transformation that every creature individually undergoes is all equivalent to how we operate as a society. For this reason, I make reference to each of these elements by combining natural elements with my own body and synthetic materials. The result is a dystopian environment that showcases moments of overlap, mimicry, and unnatural interactions between these entities. What happens when we let go of the boundary between humans and the digital world?

The primary difference between humans and any digital replication of life is the experience of emotion and consciousness. Allowing humans and digital technology to overlap completely without any boundary would inevitably create a tension in emotional experience. In response to this idea, I used phrases and excerpts from my personal journals to title each piece – as well as the entire series. My journaled words were typically written in the height of emotion, a very human and volatile response to my personal struggles and experiences. Exposing these words creates a new level of vulnerability and exposure within the work, an idea that is central to how our privacy operates digitally.

This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fragments of the Self addresses the relationship between humans and digital technology from a personal perspective. Intersections of organic and synthetic materials within the constructed photographs function as a metaphor for the blurred boundaries between humans, machines, and nature. By utilizing various methods of self-extension, fragmentation, and recontextualization, I attempt to depict the merging of these entities. At this point, humans and machines no longer exist at opposite poles. They reside on a spectrum, with much overlap between them. Once their boundaries are given a physical form, it is possible to sever, mend, or remove them completely.

Many elements within the images are remnants of myself or those close to me, abject traces of my own existence. Flesh-like membranes represent extensions of myself and use my own skin tone as a form of self-portraiture. Combined with both natural and manufactured objects, I view these images and sculptures as relative to the cyborg. These liminal objects embody multiple ideas and entities simultaneously. Technology allows for duplication and extension of the self in a similar manner. When examined closely, the structures and systems between the technological and biological world are not so different. It is easy to blur the lines between them when the digital world is carefully modeled to mimic that with which we are familiar. In documenting the interplay between material, gesture, landscape, and my own fragmented body, these images form a narrative of interdependence, reliance, tension, and inseparability.

These photographs were taken within Greenville, Spartanburg, Clemson, Easley, and the spaces in between. This corner of upstate South Carolina is my birthplace and I have occupied each of these cities at various points in my life, calling them home.

I began documenting their shifting landscapes in mid-March of 2020, when COVID-19 started shutting down much of the United States. I have continued this documentation through the summer, gathering stories from any who would offer a taste of their experience along the way.

This work serves as a compilation of those perspectives, as well as a documentation of the shifting dynamic of the household, the concept of security and safety, and our individual definitions of freedom.

The writings and photographs that follow are a glimpse into the journey that we have all endured this past year, from the perspective of several voices in the southern state of South Carolina.

As we move forward, I hope we are all able to gain a new appreciation for everything given up during this time, and consider what we have learned in the years to come. May we remember the times we longed for the comfort of family and friends, and may we never forget those who risked their own safety for the sake of others.