Insomnia's Lullaby

Insomnia's Lullaby, 2008. Extruded steel fencing, stainless steel bars, and rebar.

Hello, everyone! Welcome to one of my first posts, which sparked from a conversation with my sculpture professor this evening. I mentioned that I have insomnia and he suggested that I chronicle my daily thoughts and critical remarks on various artists and subjects. Over the years, my insomnia has developed to a point where I can stay awake for days despite feeling exhaustion. In doing so, I am testing the limits of sleep and exertion because I feel even more energy at night when most of the world is sound asleep. As a result, many of my best ideas occur at 3 a.m. on any given day. Also, by adding to this blog, I will be able to combine my love of writing, graphic design, and sculpture into a compacted resource.

The title of this blog, DisArmChair, encompasses my passion for furniture, specifically chairs. I found it interesting to combine the word "armchair" with "disarm" to represent something fierce and strong yet fragile and vulnerable. Therefore, I chose this blog name a year ago but never continued on with the project until now.

Here is a little information about me:

My name is Asma Chaudhary and I am currently a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate student in the Critical Artistic Processes (CAP) Sculpture program at George Mason University. This is my first semester in the program and I am ecstatic to work in the brand new School of Art (SOA) building, which opened in fall 2009. I primarily work with found and recycled materials to create unique furniture pieces and cool everyday objects. My background is in graphic design and electronic journalism, which allows me to explore relationships between an object or logo and its interaction with the audience. Therefore, I am drawn to personal narratives and experiences from random strangers. Whether I am driving to work, shopping at the grocery store, or walking around campus, I just love watching people going about their daily routine. You can just say that I am a true journalist at heart, among other things, of course.