Name: Shanil Bal
Student ID: 991727600
Course: Visual Narratives
Professor: Anna Boshnakova
Due Date: 29, November 2024
Faux plant, real deadline!
Message: This image reflects how time pressurizes and leads to artificial expectations and how
we face different obstacles while achieving our goals. While on this journey, a little light or spark
can guide you towards taking the right step.
Part 1: Explanation of the Art
This post-modern art features a faux plant, which is seen to be tangled in the alarm clock, which
is set to 11:59 pm, a pen holder tilted over with pens spilling out, and a lit candle glowing in a
dark room. All these objects together represent the tension and urgency we as students face in
our school life.
The faux plant represents growth and potential but at the same time, it reminds us that growth in
this modern world and fast era is just an illusion. The artificial nature of the plant reflects the
inorganic way of growth that people are compelled to take.
The faux plant is seen to be entangled with the alarm clock, which is set to 11:59 pm, which
represents how growth is often associated with restricted timelines and deadlines. For students,
our school life is tangled between deadlines and the growth we aim for. The time on the clock
also highlights the pressure on students that they have to face, it symbolizes a constant rush to
finish an assigned task, which then affects creativity and leads to a stressful environment, leading
to an inorganic growth like that of the faux plant. We as humans often get entangled between
tasks and deadlines and often opt for easy and short ways of dealing with stressful situations.
The pen holder, which is seen to be spilling its content on the table, represents the chaos which
comes with chasing the deadline and moving towards the growth one aims for. The chaos also
arises when creativity is forced under the pressure of limited time. Tools like pens, markers, and
highlighters, which are essential for students or anybody who is aiming to grow or is trying to
express their creativity, are spilled chaotically, expressing the cluttered thoughts that cloud the
creativity of a person when put in a stressful situation.
In this entire situation, the lit candle represents hope; it represents the remaining spark of
inspiration. The candle’s soft light in a dim room fills the picture with an inspiration that is much
needed when under stress and in a time constraint. It is very important to notice that the little
hope and inspiration that is being represented by the candle is what we need to cling to when we
feel demotivated or overwhelmed. It should be kept in mind how a fragile, flickering candle can
light up a whole dark room. Similarly, if we hold on to that last ray of hope, we can do wonders
in our lives, whether it be academically or professionally. The warmth of the candle filled with
positivity is what needs to be focused on, even if the plants are entangled or the clock is set at
11:59 pm.
Part 2: Postmodern Approach
1. Pastiche: In this image, different objects are used from different realms. The plant is a
realm of nature, time is represented by the clock, pens are used to represent creativity,
and the candle represents hope. By bringing all these components in one image, the art
emphasizes how interconnected and conflicting elements can be in our daily lives that we
otherwise pay no attention to.
2. Appropriation: Different objects used in this image are reimagined in a way that the clock
is no longer just a tool for measuring time but is used to express the importance of
deadlines and is imagined to be a symbol of stress and pressure. The faux plant mimics
nature and expresses an inorganic growth when one tries to move with the pace of time.
This reimagined approach invites the viewer and allows them to look at the image and
find a deeper meaning within it.
3. Parody: The humour in this reimagined situation that is shown in the image is how the
plant is trying to grow around the clock when it is a faux plant, and it literally cannot
grow. It represents fake and forced growth, which is not natural in any way. The spilled
pens and fallen pen holder depict how one might start organized to meet the deadline and
achieve growth, but when in a rush and not focused, it will lead to a chaotic situation
where creativity will be compromised.
4. Reflection: This image asks the viewer to pause and think about their relationship with
growth and time. It urges the viewers to understand the importance of holding on to the
slightest possibility of a positive outcome in a chaotic situation.
Academic Integrity Waiver:
I, Shanil Bal, hereby affirm that the attached assignment is entirely my own work. I have not
used any unauthorized assistance, including artificial intelligence tools or automated content
generators, to complete this assignment's written component. All ideas, analyses, and written
content are original or appropriately cited according to academic standards.
I understand that submitting work that is not my own violates academic integrity policies, and I
acknowledge that any evidence of unauthorized assistance will result in consequences as outlined
by Sheridan’s academic policy and my professor for this particular course.
By signing below, I confirm my commitment to uphold academic integrity in this submission.
Student Signature: Shanil Bal
Date: 28- November- 2024