"On the Spectrum (Jerusalem Syndrome)"

Aloha Friends,

Art is in the works!

I have not had a chance to work on my screen printing series, Places Close to Home, in a little while since I've started working on setting up a home studio. I am very excited to start printing at home, it's been something I've been dreaming about but hadn't had the motivation to do until now. I am forever grateful that the University of Hawaii at Manoa has let me (as an alumni) use their studio space for so long. Hopefully I'll still get back in there for a few larger projects in the future but for now I am busy setting up my new space and so far so good.

And even though I am not fully set up, I am still working away on this series. I love the chaotic look and feel to this latest print. I feel it really captures the mood of this disorder in the vibrating line quality and the splash of yellow coming to the surface.

Check back soon (or on instagram) for some pictures of my set up! Any studio tips or advice for a screenprinting set up is very welcome, mahalo for looking!

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On the Spectrum is a 26 part print series, one for each letter of the alphabet, that explores interactions of mental illnesses, developmental disorders and perceived normalcy as abstract landscapes. Please read my artist statement for more details.

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Artist Statement: There is a strange disconnect between mental illness and normalcy – as if there is a stark dividing line between the two: Black and white, us and them, completely separate. I believe this arbitrary classification, ill, healthy, recovering... is very similar to how we catalog our colors: blue, red, green... The visible color spectrum reflects the human experience. An experience where colors cannot be contained as single, definable points. The spectrum is one band of ever shifting, transitioning hues, as are we – our lives and our experiences are continuous and overlapping, yet discreet.

We all exist in a world with other people. We interact daily with a wide range of personalities. It is not possible to limit your experience to “normal.” We are but one piece in the cosmos. No one exists in a vacuum. So instead of pushing past others whose mental or physical health might not reflect exactly our own, we must embrace.

We are made of many parts: our personalities, our bodies, and our world.

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On The Spectrum (Jerusalem Syndrome)

2015

Screen Print on Paper

15" x 11" 

$100 (unframed)

Details:

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Characteristics:

Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas,delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews, Christians and Muslims of many different backgrounds.

The best known, although not the most prevalent, manifestation of Jerusalem syndrome is the phenomenon whereby a person who seems previously balanced and devoid of any signs of psychopathology becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem. The psychosis is characterized by an intense religious theme and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the area. The religious focus of Jerusalem syndrome distinguishes it from other phenomena, such as Stendhal syndrome in Florence or Paris syndrome for Japanese tourists.

Kalian, M.; Catinari, S.; Heresco-Levi, U.; Witztum, E. "Spiritual Starvation in a holy space – a form of Jerusalem Syndrome", Mental Health, Religion & Culture 11(2): 161-172, 2008.

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Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!