Author's Preface
The intent of this work is to provide a contextual piece which is to explain the context of my artistic work. I am currently working on a Ph.D. program at The Union Institute. The program is self-designed and the work is done where I am living. I do not attend classes at the campus. I will probably never see The Union Institute campus. The Gallatin School of Individualized Study is a similar program for the B.A. and M.A. degrees. There are, however, stricter guidelines for each component of the both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Their catalog states that a contextual piece accompanying a performance project on the Masters level is generally about 25 pages for the background essay, 10 for the artistic aims, and 5-10 for the technical essay. The freedom offered at The Union Institute allows me to create a larger work which easily covers the specifics required of a contextual essay while being a creative work in and of itself. I want to be clear about my artistic intent while, in the interest of that clarity, show an example of my artistic work which leaves much unexplained and open to interpretation. I want this to be a piece which resonates with the reader on many levels and which will continue to develop in the minds of readers so that new meaning will be found after each reading and new works will be created by the readers (and myself) as a continuance of my effort in its creation.
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