johari

Project Description

Johari is a multidisciplinary installation that was created at the Savannah Cultural Art Center during Winter 2025. It investigates the porous boundaries between self and other, memory and present moment, vulnerability and structure. Drawing its name and conceptual framework from the Johari Window, a psychological model for self-awareness, the work maps the complexities of interpersonal perception across material, space, and narrative.

Constructed from a constellation of tactile and symbolic elements; including paper, clear vinyl (visqueen), nylon strands, metal, plastic, concrete, glass, and a well-worn wood table; the installation creates an immersive, meditative environment. These materials, each with their own histories and associations, become agents in a conversation about transparency, memory, stability, and emotional exposure.

Artist Statement

Johari is a personal and spatial exploration of how we reveal, conceal, and come to know ourselves; both independently and in relation to others. Rooted in the framework of the Johari Window, a psychological model used to map self-awareness across four domains (open, hidden, blind, and unknown), this installation creates a physical site where those boundaries can be seen, felt, and reconsidered.

The materials; clear vinyl, strands of nylon, paper, concrete, metal, a worn wood table, and light are chosen not just for their textures and forms, but for their symbolic resonance. Each one reflects aspects of the self: transparent surfaces that reveal and distort, structural elements that support or weigh down, and artifacts from my own history that anchor the installation in lived experience.

Natural light enters the space through a nearby window, becoming an active participant in the work. Shifting throughout the day, it illuminates some areas while casting others into shadow; mirroring the themes of visibility, perception, and the fluid nature of self-awareness. This interplay between light and material echoes the emotional transparency at the heart of the piece.

At the center of Johari is a hand-built table I made 14 years ago, which has moved with me across states and life stages. It has witnessed quiet meals, joyful gatherings, and solitary moments of reflection. Surrounding it are suspended materials that evoke both architectural columns and delicate veils; structures that suggest containment, but also permeability.

This work asks how we hold our histories, how we share them, and how much of ourselves we truly make visible. It is about the fragility of knowing and being known. By inviting viewers into a space that feels both constructed and raw, Johari becomes a meditation on relational intimacy, emotional architecture, and the ever-shifting nature of personal transparency.

Johari invites reflection on what we reveal, what we protect, and what remains unknown; even to ourselves.