Special
Lorna Oppenheim
Starting this project I felt lost. Lost in the idea of how to present a struggle that appears in my everyday life and that has made me the person I am today. Growing up in London, I was raised by a very smart mother and father who expected the best. There was expectation that I was to become the fastest, smartest most well presented young woman in our society; these are goals that every parent wants for their daughter. However when I was eight, there was confusion on why my education, that my parents spent their lives organizing and using their financial resources for my benefit, did not reflect when my pen would hit the page. Moreover, for the next ten years I was surrounded by my teachers, eye doctors, nuns and every educational specialist one could imagine to help me and my special mind.
Therefore, I wanted to create an array of pieces that depict and highlight my view on the world. These pieces are not meant to provoke a sense of pity but emphasize the world that I view. Over the years I realized that it was a blessing to have so many resources however I want to highlight an uninfluenced mind. This uninfluenced mind is where I catch myself in my everyday errands. Dyslexia has been a word that haunted me in my teenage years pushing the idea that it defined me until I realized I do not and never will want to think in a correct order. Dyslexia, along with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, lead me to the artist and athlete that created me to be the young woman I am now.