Blitzkrieg: A Synonym for Struggle

photos courtesy of Daniel De La Rosa

statement:

This piece is about an internal war. Initially, I was attempting to express a conflict between my emerging adult self and a sense of yearning to return to my childhood. As the piece progressed and I physically struggled with my materials it became clear that it was representative of more than I had originally intended or suspected. The piece became less about the initial struggle within myself and more about the struggle that I sense when confronted by society. The piece serves as a visual representation for any and all situations where a conflict or struggle is occurring-internally or externally. For myself, it is a visual representation of the moment when there is a sense of a breakthrough amidst a struggle, it is a move towards a resolution- no matter if the resolution is intended or not.

The term blitzkrieg, pronounced blits-kreeg, is a German term that has a literal translation of “lightening war”. The term was used by Hitler's army during WWII in reference to a swift attack that combined the use of ground and aerial forces. The idea of blitzkrieg was founded on the principals of speed and co-ordinated movement, and the plan was derived through the compiling of and expansion upon French and British battle tactics. I chose this term to describe my piece because of it's connotations with war, and it's negative connection to Hitler's army. I think that the term serves as a source of additional discomfort that allows my piece to come further from it's original exploration of struggle.

To construct this piece I have used both organic and non-organic materials including ply-wood, found and whittled wood, hogs casing, and florescent light-tubes.