Kristen Degrazia

Kristen Degrazia
Sector C: Art Practice and Technology
Nancy Davenport (FNAR), Andrew Moisey (ARTH)

Community Birthday

Music supports and assists the growth of the specific ideas and styles that make up a subculture. Slight deviations from these specific ways serve as the catalyst for the formation of other emerging subcultures, which in turn produce mutations in the musical style that existed in the one preceding it. When it comes to the popularity of certain musical and fashion styles, a more in-depth analysis of cultures in contemporary societies would show that history does indeed repeat itself, especially in the case of Electronic Dance Music.

Despite its growing popularity, I always found myself looking at the electronic dance and techno music scene as less of a follower and more of a critic. Its roots can be traced back to rave and club cultures of the 1980s, however, I do not necessarily believe that the issues and ideas on which it is predicated are as substantial as those of past movements. Diving deeper into my own personal interests and curiosities, I began to search for contemporary examples of the feelings and experience of which rave and dance culture was composed. Such fundamentals include love, acceptance, and belonging.

Through photographic documentation, I would begin my exploration and examination of a subculture with which I was more or less completely unfamiliar. I was eventually fortunate enough to come across a community of people that would let me in and provide me with an experience that I would never forget. In my exhibition, I want to share some of this experience, hoping to elicit the same feelings for every attendee.