Enrique Learns to Fly
Enrique Ferreyros
There is a certain intangible aspect that draws people to the idea of flight. Whether someone is a nervous flier or an enthusiast or a pilot, aviation and flying have always been sure ways to have people turn their gaze skyward. Flight is not only a vehicle to transport thousands of people across the world every day, but it is a vehicle for imagination and wonder, mediation and thought, and even self-reflection. There is a deep sense of romanticism associated with flying, and these are the aspects of flight that I wanted to explore with my project. By aestheticizing the experience of flying, the process of flying yields a visual outcome which draws attention to the imagery specific to flight. This series of visual elements creates insight into both the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of flight. My project is one in which the practice I am taking part in is merely the vehicle that will lead my project to physicality. In essence, what I am doing for my project is learning to fly, all the while documenting every step of the process, in order to create a video, a series of books, sound recordings, and a number of archival objects that define the process of flight education. While this project may seem simplistic and one-dimensional, it is a deeply personal project that explores the innate human attraction to flight, as well as the personal drive behind it.