MACKENZIE HEWITT

In this project, I investigate the complex healing process of sexual assault survivors using the process of untangling string dipped in wax and attaching it to copper wire. This process and these materials represent the cyclical healing process, the repetition of flashbacks, and the process of sorting through an experience in order to rebuild the self. I untangle a ball of string representing sorting through memories and restructure the fragments of string with the more stable wire. Once the object is constructed, the video is projected through it, symbolizing the way this healing process is a private and hidden experience. This piece would ideally be played on a loop, where viewers can come and go as they please.

Quite often I find myself dealing with constant anxiety and stress. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of these feelings. This piece stems from my desire to be able to visit my self and draw her away from this stress through one simple message. In this ideal encounter I act as a guardian to myself, and communicate through the act of displacing a picture. The picture represents a reminder of what I also need to value in life, instead of letting my anxieties consume me. The image is never revealed, because this symbol could be different for anyone. Through masking techniques in video editing, I create a space where I am able to quite literally check in on myself, and alleviate my stress in a way that I can't in real life. The sounds of Himalayan Bowls serve as the backdrop to this inner journey, as they are often used in guided meditations where individuals seek peace and relaxation.

Charlene Huffman is a retired school teacher, retired cemetery foreman, mother of ten, and grandmother to more than twenty. This interview with her granddaughter, Mackenzie Hewitt, details her life in chronological order. She tells how she grew up on her eighty-acre family farm in Petersburg, Michigan, with her parents and three sisters. She attended school in a one-room schoolhouse and went on to attended two years of school at Eastern Michigan University, where she received her teaching certification. She talks about how she met her late husband, John Huffman, whom she married in 1958. While raising her children, Charlene tells how she returned to school to obtain her master’s degree. Charlene concludes her interview by discussing how much she values family.

This video was an experiment with projection inside an object. I sandblasted half a jar so an image could be projected onto the surface. I also experimented with documenting this piece, and I added objects to the inside of the jar to add more surfaces for the projection to hit.

This project involves a series of camera techniques, shot compositions and movements.

This video is a collection of samples where I experimented with the technical abilities of the camera, as well as shot composition.

This project was an exercise with continuity editing, and developing an environment with diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The shots were collected by my classmates and I, and we had to use our own shots and others to create a continuous scene of action. This video plays with extending the real life time of the event.

This project was an exercise with continuity editing, and developing an environment with diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The shots were collected by my classmates and I, and we had to use our own shots and others to create a continuous scene of action. This video plays with cutting down the time of the real life action.

This piece was created for the final project in Sexual Objects, Fall 2018. It digs into questions of innocence and nostalgia, drawing from real home videos.

Audio interview documenting my mom's talent.

This is a documentation of a performance art piece, where my group and I challenge strangers to feel welcome and outgoing in a location that is usually devoid of meaningful social interactions.

Stop Motion Replacement Animation