This work is centered around my evening trips through a nearby park. A cumulation of the colors, smells, and experiences that brought a short but valuable disruption to the dark blur of quarantine. Going into spring and summer, I stopped listening to music during my walks and started to dissect the variety of sounds that the insects offered. I often found myself (after making sure no one was nearby) taking my mask off, breathing in smells of the forest out of desperation. I went to the park in the same urgency as going up to the surface of the pool for air after a deep dive. These trips served to ground and remind that I am in the gutter mentally for reasons outside my control. Of course everyone including myself is aware that being isolated inside has been mentally detrimental. But in the midst of it, it is hard to grasp that the spiral of negative thoughts is not the reality or a personal issue, but is rather because of the current environment. When your daily stimuli comes all from your screen and nothing else, the negative thoughts are free to run rampant. Going to the park reminded that when your daily stimuli is a bit more colorful, it gives more things to hang on to, be interested in, or distract you to move on to better thoughts. I wanted to express the brief moment of solace I experienced recharging myself in those unique colors and atmospheres.

Creating space died knit samples, 3d engineered knit samples, and its corresponding underlay graphics through Substance Designer, channeling the colors and images of the park. 

Virtual pullover samples. Testing the limits of tessellation with existing UV seams, seeing how much I can sculpt out interesting forms out of a vulcanized silhouette. Applying materials created previously.

Photos of some goldenrods in the evening I took several weeks ago gave the most appeasing gradient and tone when underlayed with some transluscent engineered knit. Wanted to express some subtle seasonality based off of my recent daily trips in November therefore this fall blooming plant was the most fitting direction.

Instagram: @neethomealabamer