Emma Levesque-Schaefer

Making work that collapses the distinction between material, body, and information, artist Emma Levesque-Schaefer’s most recent immersive installation explores contemporary culture’s obsession with self-help and the commodification of various therapeutic tools through a consideration of lavender (the color, the scent, the flower). Using ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) techniques and weaving in references to Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts and Prince’s Purple Rain, Levesque-Schaefer’s work highlights the many dichotomies at play and eschews any attempt at singular definitions. (9:12 mins., video, meditation cushions, lavender aroma)