A theoretical exploration of consciousness

Summary: The following paper is a two-part document of research. I process information best through the use of metaphor and narrative, so in order to tackle the complicated, analytical research of unpacking consciousness and the nature of death in relation to my work, it felt necessary to open with the short story that is behind my visual thesis. The heady concepts of physics and the winding history of different theories of consciousness, be they in art or science, informed the short story, which then informed my paintings and prints. All three—the visual works, the narrative, the research—are different iterations of the same exploration. It would feel disingenuous to not present each one as a sum and a part of the whole, as they are intrinsically linked and inform one another.