The Thing With Feathers
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
-Emily Dickinson
The Thing With Feathers began as an exploration of hope, inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem that famously describes hope as "the thing with feathers." At the same time, I was reading Jacques Lacan's theory of desire and began to think about how hope and desire are often intertwined. Hope frequently accompanies desire, not only in the yearning for something but also in the belief that fulfillment will bring joy. This project delves into the persistent longing for something beyond the present, exploring the tension between the pursuit of desire and the endurance of hope.
I took inspiration from the title’s subtle reference and hinted at the presence of the bird in my work, much like the characters in these images pursue desires that remain just out of reach. Metaphors such as feathers, shadows, and plucked flowers underscore this interplay between hope and longing. In one image, a woman consumes milk in excess, reflecting the relentless hunger for fulfillment—a reflection of my own pursuit of artistic growth. The poetic staging invites viewers into a world where desire blurs clarity, driving actions.
The obscured or closed eyes of many of the figures echo Lacan’s theory that desire clouds perception, making it harder to distinguish reality from want. We often become consumed by what we lack, projecting desires onto the world. Yet, alongside this longing, hope remains—the belief that what we seek might one day be within reach.
Through intimate compositions, I emphasize gestures that reveal the tension between yearning and clarity. The mood is one of quiet persistence, mirroring Dickinson’s vision of hope as a steadfast companion to desire—whether it leads to fulfillment or frustration.
This series invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences with longing, recalling moments when desire shaped their actions and blurred their perceptions.
