Diana Tran

wordpools
2020
Acetate, glass, magnets, water

This piece is composed of D/C motors attached with a pair of magnets inside
glasses filled with water. As the motor spins, the magnets of the same polarity in the
water follow, forming a violent current. Words that I have been called or described
as, and in extension, often feel like a reflection of myself, are written on small pieces
of acetate. Some of these names and adjectives include; worthless, withdrawn, weak
and wench. As the whirlpool is in motion, the words get caught in the current and
rapidly spin. With ​wordpools, ​I wanted to encapsulate the feelings of struggle and
chaos that arise from a storm of negative thoughts. ​Whirlpools are synonymous with
destruction, and in turn, mirror the self-destruction that ​I experience. When I think of
the way a whirlpool moves, I think about the infinite vortex it creates as it perpetually
spins. I am reminded of the negativity that intrudes my mind, often trapping me into
an endless spiral of insecurity, pulling on me with it’s wrath and uncontrollable
turbulence.