Vertices

As a culmination of my artistic work as a collaborative visionary, through Vertices I am pursuing an Arts Seal at Arizona School for the Arts. Vertices represents the global majority in circus arts and music, which I did not see a lot of as a budding artist. This show brings underrepresented voices to the center stage to highlight the many facets of their identities. The live chamber music gives young musicians an opportunity to shine and experience the magic of playing music by lesser-known composers. Most importantly, Vertices serves as an event to bring the community to reflection on how complex each of us is and truly the infinitely many facets within us.

I identify as multiracial and have always grown up in multiple cultures. I felt like I never belonged, but on a deeper level that was because no community or person ever could grasp all the aspects of me. My high school guitar teacher once described me as a rock of opal with infinitely many colors and appearances. This concept further solidified with identity after my encounters with calculus and quantum physics.

A circle contains infinitely many vertices, which means that infinitely many line segments compose it. Each segment is a life experience or something that has shaped you in some sort of way. A circle is also similar to a particle in quantum physics where its state isn’t certain until the moment it is measured, even then, the measurement is only a snapshot of the larger activity of the particle. Such is a circle. We can only imagine infinitely many vertices therefore our measurement of the circle is limited.

In relation to our identity being the circle, we as humans are immeasurable. This highly relates to the multiracial experience of being raised in many different cultures and therefore having too many experiences for another person to quantify in interactions. Like a circle, we will not ever be fully understood, but we can acknowledge the infinite possibilities of facets that make up our life.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Sienna Morrison