Isolation Chamber

Step inside SMFA Senior Nayeli Wessell-Meadow’s Isolation Chamber and you are enclosed in a dimly-lit 8 x 8 foot wooden box. The fur-lined walls smell of frankincense and a sheet of plexiglass divides the installation. Across from you sits a lifeless silicone doll on a tile floor and water runs down the wall behind it. Ominous music sounds as the doll rises and breaks apart in midair, then comes back together again, whole and reawakened.

Nayeli Wessell-Meadow’s, BFA+BS '23, conceived of this project as a response to how modern technology shapes and restricts our ability to be truly alone. Wessell-Meadows first conceived of the project in an SMFA Open Studio class and worked on it this summer as part of the Summer Scholars program. They are now completing it as part of their senior thesis.

In order to understand the landscape of modern technology and its impacts on the individual and society, Wessell-Meadows absorbed several books, articles, and podcasts. They were particularly influenced by The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshanna Zuboff, which examines how “surveillance capitalism” and large corporations have permeated nearly all aspects of modern life with the goal of predicting and controlling human behavior.

“I’m very interested in Zuboff’s concept of ‘Instrumentarianism,’” says Wessell-Meadows. “It describes the ‘instrumentation of behavior for the purposes of modification, prediction, monetization, and control’ by big corporations.”

“It’s similar to authoritarianism in that it seeks complete power and control over the masses. Under authoritarianism the goal is to redesign the soul from within for the sake of the state, but instrumenarianism doesn’t care about your soul because it doesn’t see you as having one. It’s more about creating a population that is constantly seeking instant gratification through things like consumerism and social media.”

In our modern era of reliance on smart devices and the internet, opportunities for superficial connection and distraction are endless. Wessell-Meadows recalls childhood moments when they felt free of these forces. 

“I have this one vivid memory of being home alone in the shower at 13 or 14 years old,” they said. “It was this mystical nighttime reverie where I felt my bodily perception sway and distort. My limbs and entire being felt mutable and profound, and I think a lot of people have these existential experiences only when they’re alone. I’ve tried for years to incorporate this feeling into words and imagery.” 

Their experience in the shower provided the inspiration for their Isolation Chamber installation. “Solitary moments can create spaces to explore your identity without the pressure to interact with other people in a performative way,” they said. “You can relax your facial muscles and fully inhabit your body. You can consider and experiment with your gender and sexuality, religious and political affiliation, and overall identity. Being alone is a very powerful thing.”

In addition to exploring how modern technology has changed the individual human experience, Wessell-Meadows is considering how it has altered our collective understanding of privacy. “Our devices are listening to us and tracking us all day long,” they said. “This surplus of behavioral information can generate a complete psychological profile of our political, sexual, gender, and religious orientations as well as any insecurity that can be capitalized on for the sake of consumerism. This is built into the digital infrastructure - there is no way out of it.”

Prior to the advent of the internet, art served as an inspiration and catalyst for social change, though modern technology has altered how art functions in a capitalist society. 

“My goal with this piece is not to say that art can no longer be revolutionary or sound an alarm about the perils of social media,” they continued. “Instead, I want to bring awareness to how capital interest is posing a threat to the existential experiences we all seek out as human beings. It’s important to carve out these spaces of quiet reflection.”

Wessell-Meadows credits their SMFA and Film and Media Studies coursework with helping them to undertake this project, particularly their classes in ceramics, sculpture, and film. They are also grateful to their advisor for this project, Professor of the Practice Anthony Romero, who continues to offer guidance and resource materials as their work unfolds.

“I’m blown away by Nayeli’s research and their ability to articulate complex ideas in clear and concise ways,” says Romero. “They’re reckoning with big themes, like the effects of media technology not just on our wider culture, but on our bodies and souls. I’ve been working with them for over a year now, and I’m so impressed by the sustained creative and academic rigor they’ve brought to this project.”

Wessell-Meadows credits Professor Romero with helping them to understand the personal aspects of their project.  “With Professor Romero’s wonderful help I realized how deep my connection to this issue is,” Wessell-Meadows says. “I am Indigenous and we’ve had conversations about the importance of Indigenous people seeking self-actualization or the complete realization of your potential as a person. I’ve learned that these solitary spaces are where you explore, grow, and self-actualize.”

Banner Image: Summer Scholar Nayeli Wessell-Meadows holds part of their Isolation Chamber installation and poses with Professor of the Practice Anthony Romero.