UC San Diego

ABSTRACT OF THESIS

If the Ocean Was Whiskey

By

Brianna Dawn Rigg

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

University of California, San Diego, 2012

Professor Anya Gallacio, Chair

My work investigates the histories, power relations, and psychological motivations that lead to the production of cultural artifacts. If the Ocean was Whiskey, is an immersive environment composed of artifacts that are reminiscent of the Old West, maritime culture, elementary school classrooms, and Southern Californian architecture. These artifacts, both collected and made by me, are arranged to create a mash up of vernaculars used to express my imagined understandings of the historical narratives to which they refer. The handmade objects in the installation represent things that hold a monumental presence in my memory such as: The Little Mermaid, The Guinness Book of World Records, and Taco Bell. By adding found objects to these handmade forms, I am questioning the assumptions that lie behind my memories; I am attempting to disrupt these assumptions by challenging the monumental with contingencies, and by placing the personal within a context that is historical.