Christina Ivelisse Morris Solo Exhibition

I created the works in “This Is Not A Drill” during a time of heightened global tension at the beginning of 2018. This was after a series of nuclear threats were exchanged and nuclear weapons were in testing. This context of the work is incredibly important to understanding the intent behind it. At the time, many were on edge about what the future of the current circumstances might bring and what could be done to prevent it. I wanted to include this “on edge” feeling of having heightened global awareness, in my work.

Hawaii Missile Alert is inspired by the emergency missile alert text message that was sent to everyone in Hawaii one Saturday morning in January, warning of an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile. This caused the people on the island to scramble for safety and to believe they were living the last few moments of their lives. The last line of the emergency text message were the words “THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The incoming missile was later found to be nonexistent.

System Success takes elements from the successful November launch of a test missile named Hwasong-15: the first ever missile developed by North Korea that is theoretically capable of reaching the entirety of the United States. This of course heightened western anxiety, and this anxiety combined with the Hawaiian frenzy were important elements for me to include in my work.

The works in “This Is Not A Drill” play on the tension between the future and the past in a mysterious way. It is a magical world of what I call the “not-now”: a combination of the past and the future, drawing tension between the comfort we often find in the past and in our memories, as well as the uncertainty that often brings fear and anxiety over the future. The outdated technology I rendered in these digital works of art are things that are unique to the 90’s – a time when I was a child and in the safety and comfort of those around me. A time when not much else existed in the world to my small and childlike mind. In contrast, I juxtaposed these nostalgic motifs against current day world events which echo an unwritten future which I hope will never actually happen.

“This Is Not A Drill” is not exclusively about nuclear tensions and politics, but rather is about the precious quality of human life and the moment we live in now.
I took elements from nature (the colors of the sunset, the fluidity of water, the impermanence of bubbles), elements from the past and elements from the unknown future and combined them into one mystical world of time.

Christina Ivelisse Morris

Christina Ivelisse Morris is a new media artist based in Chicago. Christina uses lights, color, sound and digital media to shift the surrounding environment, to produce a unique experience for her audience, and to create a new atmosphere as a whole. The intent of her artwork is to transport her viewer using sensory experiences. Her work is inspired by the wonder and limitlessness of a youthful and playful mind, and she often crossreferences that with deeper themes through out her work. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Art, Media and Design from DePaul Univerity in Chicago.

Christina Ivelisse Morris “System Success” (2018)