In this master essay titled Vanishing Point I wanted to further develop my thoughts and research connected to the film that I made for my MFA solo exhibition with the same name.  I used the film as a template in this essay, going through it from beginning to end, using still images as reference. Doing this I was able to further develop my thoughts and research, as writing offers other possibilities than film. 

The essay circles around the American country singer Luke Bell, who was found dead by a fentanyl overdose in a Tucson parking lot in 2022. Through a breakdown of American history, culture and politics, the essay investigates his death in relation to the myth of the West as well as my own relationship to Bell. My research relied heavily on philosophical thought, using Jean Baudrillard's writings on simulacra and simulation as a way of understanding American history and culture.