Bio
Sammi Herlich is a visual artist working predominantly in performance and video art. She is a fourth-year student at the U of T John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design pursuing a specialist degree in Visual Studies: Studio Stream and Creative Expression and Society. Her experimental practice focuses on the relationship of the body to existential questions. Often working in a playful, spontaneous, imaginative and intuitive way, she incorporates the use of dolls, toys and whimsical elements to discuss societal issues and form a connection with her viewers.
Artist Statement
No Strings Attached is a video installation that utilizes the nostalgic form of children’s media to have viewers of all ages consider the capabilities within themselves to choose sillier, weirder and more caring responses over succumbing to hate. The three puppet characters performed by the artist, turn destructive acts of popping balloons, separating socks and tearing paper, into filling balloons, pairing mismatched socks, and creating a paper boat, after goofy hats appear on their heads. One puppet states, “We have the capabilities to do pure evil,” as two other puppets do funky dance moves behind her, exemplifying a dichotomy within ourselves–we can cause harm or choose another way. These playful acts use exaggerated silliness to pare down the ability a single individual has to create a better world by recognizing the strings in their own lives.
Through researching world atrocities and crises, Herlich was confronted with the notion that humans haven’t just had to face them, but have been responsible for creating them. She was greatly impacted by The Choice a Holocaust memoir, that demonstrated the capacity to choose love in the face of hatred. As children, we learn valuable life skills from children’s TV shows that communicate complex moral lessons in simplified ways. Utilizing the aesthetics of children’s media, Herlich aims to inspire viewers to contemplate that while there are things we can’t control, there are things we can.
