Anxiety has an interesting relationship to the genre of science fiction. The films and graphic novels of this genre give me visible monsters to fear and in turn they minimize the monsters of the real world that I physically live in. The kinds of worlds created in this genre—whether they are utopian or dystopian—are things of beauty to me. Whether it is by the sterility of the space stations or by the grit of the neo-cities I am drawn in and allow myself to become fully immersed. I think what is so appealing about science fiction is how alien yet familiar these spaces are. The familiarity allows us as people to walk into these spaces with our minds; the unfamiliarity allows us to fantasize and forget about our true fears that make us anxious.

Science fiction's mass appeal and flexibility allows me to create a world with limitless possibilities. Certain films, literature, and graphic novels of this genre have inspired me to depict my states of mind when under the influence of anxiety. Two films that were the initial catalyst for my [fall 2015] installation are Moon (2009) and Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010). After watching, these films had later manifested themselves as nightmares in my psyche where my anxieties came to life. Moon reminded me that I am easily replaceable by a clone—a clone without anxieties that my loved ones would easily accept over me. Beyond the Black Rainbow reminded me that I am afraid of being trapped and observed. [Fall 2015] installation was an attempt to re-create a space that was in my anxious mind. I wanted to see if others could feel the same as I did.

I create installations—and now narrative models—with Sci-Fi spaces in mind to get in touch with my own anxiety in the real world and make viewers aware of their own anxiety too. By placing my and their anxiety into the scenes that I create, they become detached from their real-world anxiety. This detachment allows myself and the viewer to see that their fears do not hold as much power over them as they previously thought.