The Unnatural Conversion of Energy (2022)
Image Description: Four black and white images depict a young man in a wheelchair. There are ghost-like apparitions around his arms and head that display movement. Although the movements are hard to see, they depict the man having a seizure.
About the Creator
Conversion disorder is a condition in which a person experiences physical and sensory problems, such as paralysis, numbness, blindness, deafness or seizures, with no underlying neurologic issues. The brain converts extreme amounts of stress into physical symptoms as a form of defense. Despite living with these seizures for ten years, I have grappled with the issue of how to creatively document my seizures. I wanted to capture the movement and brutal honesty of these events. With the help of some fellow artists, I induced a seizure while burst images were taken and later layered together.
Charlie Reynolds (he/him) is a conceptual artist who explores themes of war, gender, and disability using fibers, installations, and sculpture. During his time at the University of Michigan, Charlie hopes to expand his practice with a specific interest in weaving, hand dyeing, and quilting.
Image description: Charlie is a young white man with short brown hair. He is wearing glasses and white shirt with colorful stripes. He is looking at the camera with trees in the background.