Melissa R. Strom
she/her
Allentown, PA
Dissonant PatternsFound Stravinsky vinyl record and sleeve, fabric, acrylic, yarn, transparency film
18” x 17”
NFS
This piece concerns the ability to shift thinking patterns, and change perspective. Composer Igor Stravinsky used dissonance in his musical compositions as a conveyor of ideas and the passage of time. At the historic opening of Stravinsky's ballet "Rite of Spring" (1913) in Paris, a riot was imbued partially due to the dissonance of the piece. Yet, a year later, audiences experienced the piece again with a more open-mind after being exposed to the piece once before (and there's even more science behind how the neurons in our brains react to music). The second performance was wildly approved by audiences and critics, and Stravinsky's work would come to appear in Disney movies such as "Fantasia." After discovering the story behind the historic opening of "Rite of Spring." With exposure therapy in mind, I was inspired to create a pattern shift that showed chaos transitioning to order, and the power behind having an open mind.
Melissa R. Strom was born in Newton, New Jersey, and she currently studies and works out of the NYC Metropolitan area. Her interdisciplinary art practice stems from themes such as mental health, relationships, music, everyday life, and is often informed by a span of historic and current events. Melissa scavenges for textiles and found objects in thrift and antique stores, and explores ways in which coping mechanisms and patterns that she has learned to personally identify translate to societal, political, and environmental systems. She had a sculpture installation featured along the Karl Stirner Arts Trail in Easton, PA, and her research and visual arts exhibition were accepted for presentation at the 2021 National Conference for Undergraduate Research. Melissa anticipates 2021 graduation this December from Moravian University with a BFA in Studio Art/Graphic and Interactive Design, as well as a management minor on the marketing track. Her latest body of work, Exposed, investigates the roles of mindfulness tactics in artmaking. Please visit https://publish.exhibbit.com/gallery/703505232761694736/solo-gallery-54316/ to view the virtual solo exhibition featuring Exposed.
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