Project #6: Collage + Flight

As I thought about flying, I thought of "escape velocity", a phrase I first came across via the book Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlingler. In the book the protagonist is fascinated by a zine titled "Escape Velocity", and we soon learn that escape velocity is the minimum speed by which an object must travel to leave the gravitational pull of Earth (Wittlingler 2001). I was struck by both the medium of zines, as well as the concept that flying, and leaving earth required an actual speed in order to escape gravity. According to Bailey (2005), "Rising above the earth's heaviness is an ecstatic jump to new heights. . . an expansion of horizons and consciousness" (p.123). I wanted to create an image that spoke of our inherent ability to fly by connecting to our ethereal spirit. I initially imagined myself using my wings to fly underground, but as I challenged myself to stick to Bailey's notion of traveling to new horizons, I thought of what it'd could mean for me to embrace the above as well as the below. And then I wondered what it'd take to leave the gravitational pull I've always known, and enter a new orbit of consciousness.

This collage and the text were originally created for my class on Technology + Psyche, at the Pacifica Graduate Institute. The course is taught by Susan Rowland, PhD, and Lisa A. Pounders, PhD.