The Reflection of Dawn: Exploring the Interior and Exterior in Carissa Rodriguez’s Motherhood

Rodriguez uses drone cinematography to capture the essence of dawn, but instead of focusing on the sunrise itself, the video emphasizes its reflection in a skyscraper, as seen from her child’s room. This choice of perspective underscores themes of interiority and exteriority, consciousness and the unconscious, and the duality between daydreaming and productive work. The use of a commercial LED screen, which emits light instead of absorbing it, adds a modern touch and reconsiders the concept of projection in video art.

Compared to Rodriguez’s earlier works, such as “The Maid” (2018) and “La Collectionneuse” (2013), which also explored themes of domesticity and care, “Imitation of Life” delves deeper into the personal and psychological aspects of motherhood. The exhibition, filmed between 6 and 7 a.m., captures not the sunrise itself but its reflection in a skyscraper seen from the child’s room. This perspective underscores themes of interiority and exteriority, consciousness and the unconscious. Furthermore, “Imitation of Life” connects three distinct institutions of self-cultivation: the museum, the school, and the cinema, thus expanding its conceptual reach and inviting reflection on the relationship between personal life and artistic production.