ALTER EGO AS A PART OF EXPRESSING PROCESS: DOLLY AND THE BLACK DOG

• Main Author: Shanti Ayu Purwanto, Mentari
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/53749
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Expressing negative thoughts and emotion is a challenging thing to do, especially when society demands us to put up a front and appear alright all the time. The amount of stigma and misinformation on mental health also takes part in pushing people to supress any kind of negativity that might exist within them. The author happens to be one of those who chose to bury and avoid talking about their feelings or negative thoughts. These negative thoughts that have been buried and abandoned then affect the author’s mental health, pushing them down to their lowest point that it made them feel suffocated and trapped within their own mind until they came to the decision of wanting to let go. This expression is carried through the creation of an artwork with the approach of art as an expression and symbol. An alter ego named Dolly was then created to serve as a ‘stuntman’ in expressing what had been unable to be done before. Negative thoughts are visualized in the form of a character with the ability to shapeshift at any time possible calle Black Dog. The medium that will be used is oil paint on canvas, with the aim of creating a contrast between the two characters through the differences made in colour and texture. In a painting a new space is created in which the characters can be showed in various situations, accompanied by the presence of symbols to describe negative feelings and thoughts. The result of this final project is a series of artwork consisting of six paintings that show the character of alter ego along with the representation of negative thoughts. By creating a contrast between the two and also present symbols on the artwork, what’s happening within the internal world can be communicated to the audience. This process then helps the writer to release pent-up emotions and provides a long-needed healing effect at last.