Sandrine Munoz

1st year, Art Education Major

Coiled Descent
Soft pastels and ink pens
57.6 cm x 72.2 cm
2014

Coiled Descent is the second piece in my collection of drawings of dancers and imagined landscapes. In the collection, I aimed to highlight the reciprocal relationship between the human figure and the environment and how this encounter between body and space results in a collective story. More specifically, the Indian dancer gliding through the coiled vegetation feels uncertain about transitioning between two worlds, the summit and bottom of the mountain. The organic forms surrounding her emphasize this struggle. However, she approaches this challenge with determination and looks forward without fearing the outcomes. The story embedded in this drawing is tied to my personal narrative. During the summer of 2014, I had the opportunity to visit many hiking trails. One of my adventures was particularly perilous. I had to face my fear of heights and take a leap of faith like the dancer of Coiled Descent when I descended the steep flank of Mount Sutton, a mountain located in the Eastern Townships, Quebec. As a result, I experienced mixed feelings; I was afraid of losing control but also felt that I could keep my balance by hanging onto the vegetation. This emotional tension is what I set out to explore in this series.