experience

Peripatetic, as the word suggests, refers to the itinerant nature of my existence thus far. This paper is a reflection on this journey and the ways in which I establish a sense of place wherever I go. Through a mixture of research and personal experience I highlight contributing factors to the development of a sense of place for an individual. Through my miniatures and storytelling practice I reproduce real places and invite the viewer into an experiential journey. The paper researches the significance of our senses and their contribution in this experiential journey. Finally, In the culminating thesis project titled Pilu And The Banyan Tree I explore the sense of place by adding a new factor in the place building process: fictional storytelling.

By examining phenomenology and the work of Julia Kristeva along with outlining an historical progression of experiential artists stemming from the sublime and onto body artists, this thesis defends the rationale and methodology behind the performative endurance work 5 Day Fast: [My Theses on Art], also known as 5DF, by Nick Rivers. This body of work is influenced by research and exploration of perception, the body, 'self', and 'the other.' Being concerned with Ontology and existence, the desire to transcend our reality and existence through art, in art, and with art is taken up as a political statement; a reaction against the current socio-political climate, the mundane, and the trivial concerns of life. Instead, 5DF is a refuge into art; an examination of how we are all connected and related to one another. 5DF challenges the truth and clarity behind the individuals' perception and authenticity.

What is reality? To most people it is what you see with your eyes, what you hear with your ears, what you can touch, taste, and smell. Reality is what you sense of the external world that exists independently from your internal mind. The senses relay data to the brain via the nervous system and perceptions are formed. We consider our perceptions of reality to be an accurate depiction of how the world really is. But what if its not as simple as that? I am interested in perception as it is fundamentally related to both the human experience and art.