Awakening: Alive in the Noise

There’s a moment—quiet, startling—when the static clears. When the swirl of input, expectation, and internal pressure parts just enough to let the truth slip through.

This piece captures that moment.

Thousands of knife strokes carve the delicate figure from a single sheet of white paper, each cut made by hand. Suspended above a layered mixed media background using nearly invisible museum glass, the cut paper casts subtle shadows—flickers of depth that shift with the light, adding movement to a moment frozen in time. From a distance, the figure feels crisp and calm. Step closer, and the piece dissolves into intricate textures: splatters, cracks, patterns that suggest overwhelm and overstimulation.

The background—made from reclaimed paper scraps, glued down and darkened with an acrylic wash—is noisy by design. Glimpses of printed words and fragmented images peek through, like thoughts fighting for attention. Spray paint in orange, teal, and black adds another layer of urgency. And yet, at the center of it all, the figure looks upward—present, alert, and finally seeing clearly.

This isn’t a portrait of escape. It’s a portrait of awareness—of realizing the noise was always there, and you were always in it.

Framed with a deep black mat and floated with care, Awakening invites viewers to step into the tension between clarity and chaos—and maybe recognize a part of themselves in the space between.