Taline Tuzee Shahinian

8 to 7 is an experimental diary comprised of drawing, collage, photograph, and writing. This book is a response to scenes viewed or lived while traveling through the Paris metro as a daily commuter. Time on the metro was initially spent listening to music or reading a book, oblivious of surroundings. This realization prompted a journey to become more rooted in sights and sounds during that time, each day. Materials used in this project, such as newspapers and posters, were gathered from the metro, inspired by the Dadaist collages. 8 to 7 is more a personal journal than a book, as it shares a glimpse into the lived experience of the artist while they explore and play with a range of media. Quick sketches and writings, observations from life made in the moment, required minimal materials, an important factor while on a packed train speeding down the railway. Other works, like the collages and paintings, were made later, in reflection and response to situations experienced prior that day. Compiled into a single work, the hope is to remind viewers to slow down and appreciate the day-to-day, seemingly mundane moments of life, as beauty and inspiration can be found within them.