Fall 2022
—From the Editors
—From the Editors
When we stop to refocus our eyes, what do we see? A blurry mass of words, objects, and spaces no more tangible than before, but perhaps with a different clarity. Green to orange to skeletal gray, the eerie landscape of Providence slowly transforms into something we feel we’ve seen before— a Trader Joe’s nestled within a labyrinth of boxy, empty apartments, a student body transforming into shivering, layered masses processing up Waterman Street, a deconstructed RISD logo from the future on a blue flag in the wind.
Nothing makes us more aware of passing time than the temperature dropping by the day. As we question how it got uncomfortably cold outside seemingly out of the blue, we also examine the changes inside ourselves, this glance inward marking a new consciousness of the everyday, deeper meditations on what we already know to be true. We are witnessing a turning over of familiar pieces, arrangements in new patterns, and as we open a deeper internal discourse with the material and immaterial objects that surround us, we ask: Through the viewfinder of an open, observant, contemplative mind, what do you see?
The Fall 2022 issue of v.1 grapples with this question, attempting to pinpoint moments where the banal and everyday shift into something spiritual and expansive. Through stones and rivers, crabs and chucherias, states of longing, grieving, and recovering, the stories in these pages seek to map the way we move through our cluttered world and minds. Investigating the language of touch, space, and identity, they reflect on what it means to be present and how presence allows us to engage with what we are accustomed to via unknown paths and openings, exposing new conversations. We can’t help but wonder, and here we discover: If we address the objects we touch, spaces we inhabit, what would they say?
The pieces in this issue flow through different terrains—studies of objecthood, ponderings, exhibition reviews, fiction, and poetry—capturing both contemplations on the most present on-campus happenings and deep dives into poetics that would have slipped the collective consciousness. They allow us to find meaning in the mundane, to excavate wonder from the depths of intimate spaces, to reevaluate the territory of exhibition experience, and to inquire into the shapeshifting of an institutional identity.
Change is persistent but hitting the brakes and pulling over is rare, so we invite you to find a deep breath, open this edition, and pause. Every salient moment opens up before you when you take note. Every cobblestone step, piercing gust, and passing thought holds weight. Don’t be afraid to step out your door with the opposite foot today. We’ll see you out there.
Graciela Batista
Briaanna Chiu
Irene Chung
Alex Ferrandiz
Maxwell Fertik
Karina Garbarini
Lena Rentel
Angelina Rodgers
Malda Smadi
Rebecca Wilkinson
v.1 dedicates this issue to Xinzhou Yu, whose recent passing has impacted us all. We would like to take a moment to honor her spirit; she will always be remembered here at RISD.
Nothing makes us more aware of passing time than the temperature dropping by the day. As we question how it got uncomfortably cold outside seemingly out of the blue, we also examine the changes inside ourselves, this glance inward marking a new consciousness of the everyday, deeper meditations on what we already know to be true. We are witnessing a turning over of familiar pieces, arrangements in new patterns, and as we open a deeper internal discourse with the material and immaterial objects that surround us, we ask: Through the viewfinder of an open, observant, contemplative mind, what do you see?
The Fall 2022 issue of v.1 grapples with this question, attempting to pinpoint moments where the banal and everyday shift into something spiritual and expansive. Through stones and rivers, crabs and chucherias, states of longing, grieving, and recovering, the stories in these pages seek to map the way we move through our cluttered world and minds. Investigating the language of touch, space, and identity, they reflect on what it means to be present and how presence allows us to engage with what we are accustomed to via unknown paths and openings, exposing new conversations. We can’t help but wonder, and here we discover: If we address the objects we touch, spaces we inhabit, what would they say?
The pieces in this issue flow through different terrains—studies of objecthood, ponderings, exhibition reviews, fiction, and poetry—capturing both contemplations on the most present on-campus happenings and deep dives into poetics that would have slipped the collective consciousness. They allow us to find meaning in the mundane, to excavate wonder from the depths of intimate spaces, to reevaluate the territory of exhibition experience, and to inquire into the shapeshifting of an institutional identity.
Change is persistent but hitting the brakes and pulling over is rare, so we invite you to find a deep breath, open this edition, and pause. Every salient moment opens up before you when you take note. Every cobblestone step, piercing gust, and passing thought holds weight. Don’t be afraid to step out your door with the opposite foot today. We’ll see you out there.
Graciela Batista
Briaanna Chiu
Irene Chung
Alex Ferrandiz
Maxwell Fertik
Karina Garbarini
Lena Rentel
Angelina Rodgers
Malda Smadi
Rebecca Wilkinson
v.1 dedicates this issue to Xinzhou Yu, whose recent passing has impacted us all. We would like to take a moment to honor her spirit; she will always be remembered here at RISD.