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Eunsung Song
UWRT 1102-26
Instructor: Fran Voltz
2 December 2015
Journal #12: Artists Abstract
The visual work (Journal #11) is titled Transmit Inherit. The work was
conceptualized while observing the contents of my personal entry for blog #10. The visuals
message is related to a social pattern seen in Key & Peeles comedy sketch titled School Bully.
In the process of developing a human mindset (as in the case of a growing child learning through
observations), elements that are readily exposed and superficial are first absorbed then reflected
in practice, while the persons inner self struggles to express or capture something entirely
different. Admittedly, the work lacks an apparent, singular, central argument. There are however,
a number of vague suggestions and claims that collectively shape what I would comment on
this development:
1. The tongue is the most potent creative/destructive agent.
2. Words spoken both reveal and conceal much about the speaker.
3. The human mind is like a mirror, reflecting what is visible and outside of its domain.
4. Everyone (or the world) is confused in some way seeking answers throughout life.
5. At times, matters of the immediate mind (temporary, new, or conscious thoughts

based on a constant intake of information) will eventually conflict with matters of

the heart (e.g. long-held values, beliefs, hopes and visions); reconciliation of the
two may produce or morph something of significance. This in turn may progress
towards the discovery of some of the answers in life.
To clarify the fifth point and to provide an interpretation for my visual work consider
the father-son relationship found in Key & Peeles social commentary. The bully (i.e. the son)
can reasonably be identified in the visual work as the Inherit figure, while his father can be

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identified as the Transmit figure. Traditionally, it is the fathers duty to instill a sense of
stability and hope to his child. Now lets suppose wrought by his circumstances, troubles and
worries much of the fathers capacity to fulfill his duty is lost. What lingers in the fathers mind
(e.g. despair, unhappiness, doubts, etc.) may then translate into words and behaviors that stunt
the growth of his son. In essence, the father transmits these negative elements, and the son
inherits them. The father wishes and hopes for the best concerning his child, to be sure, but the
reality is that his words and behavior are in conflict with his basic intent. In order to effectively
reverse this conflict, an act (or a lifestyle) representing the reconciliation of his words to his
intent is due.
The visual work attempts to recognize a layer of complexity in communications. At
times, the words which are copied and transported from one party to the other take different
sizes. This is supposed to represent the inconsistencies between what the communicator is truly
thinking or feeling, and what the recipient understands from the communicators words. To
illustrate, the recipient may not fully comprehend the intensity nor the importance behind the
speakers words; in this case, certain words found in the Inherit head (e.g. despair, afraid,
lonely) are smaller than those found in the Transmit head. Conversely, the speaker may have
(to an extent) come to terms with certain issues, but the recipient may perceive it in a new,
personalized light; this scenario can be indicated by relatively small words found in the
Transmit head (e.g. distressed, angry, confused).
To represent the central conflict between the current state of mind and the long-held
values and visions, the word hope found in the chest area of the Transmit figure is not
found distributed towards the Inherit figure. The word is especially small, which is meant to
convey the pervasive, oppressive nature of the immediate state. Alternatively, words that are

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found in the head region of the Transmit figure can represent emotions and attitudes imported
from other, external sources which communicate a stream of like messages (e.g. news of murders
and disasters, gossips, road rage incidents). To conclude simply, matters of the immediate mind
can easily circulate among different parties and entities, whereas matters of the heart face
difficulties being expressed. There are some implied barriers such as fear (of rejection),
uncertainty (i.e. lack of assurance concerning hopes and visions), loss of motivation, and
secrecy.
Originally, the work followed the parent-child example more closely. In an attempt to
extend the application beyond the scope of a father-to-child communication, I replaced some
details that may have evoked a specific emotional response (e.g. faces of an adult and a child
symbolizing the relationship) with relatively neutral or anonymous elements such as blank
outlines of heads, and terms such as Transmit and Inherit. Eventually, these changes were
made to portray the work as representing any perceivable sort of communications network or
stream, including that of mass media. The emphasis was meant to rest on the transmission and
receiving/decoding aspect of messages rather than the parties involved.
If anything, the work should primarily appeal through the element of pathos; use of logic
and verification (or trustworthiness) of information are not considered. Yet, even in the way of
evoking an emotional response, the work seems rather weak. A profound sense of connection that
was to be seen in a person-to-person interaction had to be mitigated with the implementation of
broadened purpose and representation.