Staring in the Age of Distraction (S.A.D.) addresses thematically the acts of viewing and creating artwork within today’s often over-stimulating life of constant noise, fused tastes and aromas beyond recognition, endless visual feeds, and desensitized touch. Naturally, living in an urban environment like Los Angeles demands a great deal from our senses on a daily basis. This demand takes a toll on the minds and bodies of this city’s inhabitants, resulting in a growing popularity of trends like meditation practice and solitary retreats. As a generation of rising artists and designers categorized as Millennials, we find ourselves creating work in a chaotic, digital age while facing both the stigmas and benefits of this demographic cohort.

S.A.D. exhibits the culmination of all of these influences through the perspectives of 49 individuals born just after the Internet and have collectively come of age as active consumers of art, design, and technology. This central theme not only applies to the exhibitionists, but crosses over to the viewers as well. S.A.D. questions the role of the viewer within an exhibition space by imposing the same influences of distraction onto the experience of interacting with artwork. The opportunity to exhibit new works in an institution is both a hard-earned privilege and a social responsibility these Millennial artists and designers seek to acknowledge. With change as the only constant in life, we embrace this age of distraction and simply hope to remain in touch.