Kayla O'Rourke's Projects

BFA Student

Major: Photography

Graduation Year: 2017

Artist Statement:

Unforeseen exposure to sensory anomalies alters perception and recognizes the value of memory. A narrative is created by the combination of a past history nearly lost but not forgotten, and a series of misguided sensations. Over time, loose “facts” are temporarily solidified and simultaneously remain fluid, at the mercy of transient thought. Within the realm of visual awareness, this yields the question: can one’s perception of memory be aestheticized? My work is an effort to address the mystery of perception on a personal level, using photography as the tool for examination. It is the culmination of personal reflection in an effort to uncover the inner workings of my history stemming from childhood.

Biography:

Kayla O'Rourke was born in Lublin, Poland in 1992 and came to the United States shortly thereafter. Her most recent photographs are of constructed spaces meant to allude to specific and yet vague memories relating to trauma. Emphasis is placed on formal considerations, especially color and optical illusion. She graduated from Maine College of Art in 2017 with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art, and resides in Portland, Maine.