Elián Sweeten-López

Elián Sweeten-López (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist creating pictures, stories, and video games in Austin, TX. Their work focuses on people and relationships, and explores the intersection of their various identities in the context of lived experience.

website: elsweeten.com
games: lorefiend.itch.io

Great-Circle Distance

Project Statement: Great-Circle Distance examines the idea of “a life worth living,” a phrase borrowed from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Initially, I set out to capture impressions of the things and people that I felt made my life worth living, emphasizing the intersections between my life and the lives of others. It wasn’t long before I decided to expand the horizons of my project to also include the things that threaten my life and/or my desire to live it. Great-Circle Distance is divided into three chapters, each focusing on one of my three core themes: intimacy, ritual, and survival. Despite this separation, those three themes are interwoven throughout the entirety of the work. Great-Circle Distance documents my experience of relationships, magic, and mortality as a person living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, but at its core, it is not a documentary. It is a poem.

Handwritten text that reads “Chapter I” superimposed over a soft blue cloud-shaped background.

*Hey! Listen*

Isabell, a light-skinned person with short blond hair, is depicted in profile from the chest up. He is standing indoors, and his surroundings are largely obscured by shadow. He is wearing a long-sleeved green tunic-style shirt, wireframe glasses, and costume elf ears. In his hands, he holds a blue ceramic ocarina that he is looking down towards and lifting to his face. Superimposed over the image are white lines which are “drawn on” as though with a pencil, radiating out from Isabell as though to depict an aura around him. In the upper right corner, there is a small doodle of a fairy-like figure resembling Navi from Legend of Zelda. The title of the image is written in the same white pencil in the upper left corner: “HEY! LISTEN.”

*there is something that I want to share.*

Emily and Stephanie are shown in the living room of a house. Emily lays back on a red couch; only about half of her face is visible from the camera’s perspective. She has light skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. Stephanie is leaning over Emily and is doing Emily’s makeup. Stephanie’s face is almost entirely obscured by her light brown hair. White lines are drawn in pencil around Emily and Stephanie, emphasizing that they are the subject of the picture despite taking up a relatively small area of the canvas. The title of the image is written in white pencil over the grey & white curtains that dominate the right side of the frame: “there is something that I want to share.”

the shortest distance between two points
is not always a straight line.

Isabell, a light-skinned person with short blond hair, and Arthur, a light-skinned person with long brown hair, stand facing each other in an outdoor market setting, surrounded by other people, green grass, and trees. They are both wearing medieval-style clothing: Isabell has a long skirt and white peasant blouse, Arthur is wearing a red tunic over a white peasant blouse, leggings, and tall boots. They are shown from far away, and stand at the opposite end of a wooden bridge from the camera. An infinity sign is drawn in white pencil weaving between them. Curling, branching white lines which somewhat resemble speech bubbles indicate that they are conversing with one another. The title of the image is written on the left-hand side: “the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line.”

on a flat surface,
things are
straightforward.
Elián is sitting on his rollator in a bookstore. He is wearing a white graphic tee-shirt underneath a black & white plaid button-up shirt, black jeans, and sneakers. He has light brown skin and black hair pulled back into a ponytail, a section of hair dyed magenta has fallen loose from the ponytail and slightly obscures Elián’s face, which is already hard to see because of his KN95 mask. He is looking down towards a blank book which he is holding in his hands as he flips through the pages. A white line drawn in pencil divides the canvas in half horizontally, and more white lines radiate out from Elián. The title of the image is written in the bottom right corner: “on a flat surface, things are straightforward.”

in a 3-dimensional world
it gets more complicated.
Elián is seated outside on a grey stone bench, facing their rollator, upon which they have set their backpack. They are wearing black jeans, a black tee-shirt, and a grey button-up. Behind Elián there are green trees and a blue sky. A shape resembling a cloud is drawn over that sky in white pencil. Inside the cloud are the words “in a 3-dimensional world”, and on the cement patio are the words “it gets more complicated.”

what’s the shortest distance
between
two people on earth?
Elián is standing outside on one of several cement blocks in the middle of some sort of drainage ditch. Behind him is a grassy hill with several trees partially obscuring a city street. Elián is wearing black jeans, a black tee-shirt, and a blue plaid button-up. His hair is pulled back in a messy bun. He is facing the camera, but looking at something out of frame to the left side of the picture. On the right side of the picture the image title is written in white pencil: “what’s the shortest distance between two people on Earth?”

Elián is sitting on a bench attached to the wall of a circular stone room, which is entirely cast in darkness except for a spotlight shining on Elián, and a doorway through which a brightly lit hallway can be seen. Elián is wearing black jeans, a grey button-up, and a black tee-shirt, and is once again looking out of frame to the left. Circles drawn in white pencil have been overlaid on top of one another surrounding the natural spotlight, and messy doodles depicting planets, moons, and stars are interspersed throughout the shadowy areas of the picture. There are no words written on the image.

Handwritten text that reads “Chapter II” superimposed over a soft purple cloud-shaped background.

every spell requires
the necessary components,

Alden is shown from the back opening a freezer door inside the frozen food aisle of a drugstore. He has long, dark hair and is wearing a blue hoodie; the lower half of his body is out of frame. The freezer doors are not clear glass, but instead are digital screens depicting images of the various types of ice cream stored inside. White lines drawn in pencil trace the outline of Alden’s figure, overlapping and intertwining with each other. On the top of the image the image title is written: “every spell requires the necessary components,”

in different combinations
and
arrangements
A busy city intersection on a college campus is shown from the inside of a stopped car, with the steering wheel and dashboard slightly visible towards the bottom of the frame. The intersection is crowded with at least 50 pedestrians crossing the street in different directions. A street sign identifies one of the roads as “Whitis Avenue.” An abstract doodle of a face drawn in white pencil is superimposed over the screen of a phone which has been mounted onto the dashboard of the car. The title of the image is superimposed over the steering wheel, following its contour: “in different combinations and arrangements.”

*verbal*,
Elián is seated at a table facing the camera and smiling, holding both their hands clasped in front of themself. They are wearing a white graphic tee-shirt underneath a black & white plaid button-up. They appear to be in the middle of saying something to the unseen person behind the camera. On the table there are two boba tea drinks and a disposable food basket containing onigiri. To the left of Elián, their rollator is partially visible. Curling and branching white pencil lines are drawn over the picture creating a speech-bubble like effect. The title of the image is written in the upper right-hand corner: “verbal,”

*somatic,*
Emily and Arthur are holding hands and dancing with each other outdoors, on a green grassy area next to a dirt road that passes by small shops. Emily’s back is to the camera, and she is wearing a black dress, boots, and a flower crown, with her long dark hair worn loose. Arthur is facing the camera. He is a tall, thin, light-skinned person with long light-brown hair, wearing a red tunic over a white peasant blouse, black leggings, and tall boots. White lines are drawn in pencil around Emily and Arthur, emphasizing that they are in motion, spinning around in a circle. The title of the image is written on the right hand side: “somatic,”

*material*.
An assortment of items is depicted on a dark wooden surface against the background of a plain white wall. The items include geodes, candles, musical instruments, ceramic animal figurines, metal & glass vases, wooden boxes, and the peel of an orange. White pencil lines emphasizing the contour of the objects of a group are drawn around them. The title of the image is written in the bottom right corner: “material.”

*verbal, somatic, material, verbal, somatic, material*
A double-exposure image of Isabell laughing and smiling in a living room, holding a blue ocarina in her hands. In the foreground of the image is a lyre, being held in the hand of the photographer, who has light skin, black nail polish, and a geometric tattoo on their wrist. White pencil lines are superimposed over the image, emphasizing the contour of the lyre, the motion of Isabell, and the laughter emitting from her, combining the imagery of the previous three pictures. The title of the image is written in the upper left-hand corner, also double exposed: “verbal, somatic, material”

verbal somatic material
verbal somatic material
verbal somatic material
A double-exposure image of a tarot reading taking place on a wooden table. The face of Daniel, who is performing the reading, is out of frame, but his pale hands are visible, flipping over and displaying the cards while also holding a red cup. White pencil lines are superimposed over the image, outlining Daniel’s hands and depicting his speech in the form of curling, branching white lines. The title of the image is written at the bottom, triple-exposed and blurry: “verbalsomaticmaterial”

Handwritten text that reads “Chapter III” superimposed over a soft cloud-shaped background painted with light pinks, reds, and oranges.

the heart
never rests
A chair is shown in the corner of a cold, sterile room with white walls. There is no person sitting in the chair, however a satchel and water bottle have been placed on top of it, and there is a cane leaning against the chair as well. The water bottle is made of clear plastic and contains a bright red liquid, and taped onto the bottle is a label that says “potion of healing.” On the left-hand side of the image there is a window through which a parking lot is visible far below. On the right side of the image there is a double-exposed white pencil line in a pattern resembling a heartbeat. Directly above and below the line, the title of the image is written: “the heart never rests”

it can’t stop,
even for a minute.
perhaps on some level it knows
A model heart rests upon a clean white countertop, alongside a metal sink and among other objects such as a thermometer, a bottle of hand sanitizer, and a box of tissues. The image is cold and almost entirely devoid of color aside from the bright red of the heart. White pencil lines outline the contour of the heart, beginning jagged and becoming smoother as they spiral out further and further. The title of the image is written in white pencil in the upper left corner and in the center below the heart: “it can’t stop, even for a minute. perhaps on some level it knows”

that would be the end.
there would be no more.
A wall-mounted manual blood pressure gauge is depicted against a plain white background. The blood pressure cuff is teal, and the various cables, along with the hand pump, are bright red. The title of the image is written on the left-hand side: “that would be the end. there would be no more.”

I wonder if my heart is resentful,
the way I am resentful.
The ceiling of a room is shown from below, along with a partially-visible window through which trees can be seen. The ceiling is featureless and white. The sky outside is blue, but the reflection of the white room in the glass makes the scenery outdoors appear faded and drab. The title of the image is superimposed over the window, written in white pencil: “I wonder if my heart is resentful, the way I am resentful.”

I conceive of us as separate — all the parts that make up me.
my body is some stranger.
unreliable. uncooperative. inescapable.
A double-exposure image taken from within a car wherein Elián’s face is partially visible in the car mirror, slightly distorted due to the warped nature of the image. The sky outside is visible through the windshield—it is overexposed and blindingly white. The interior of the car is grey. The only colorful part of the image is Elián’s warm light-brown skin as it is seen in the mirror. The title of the image is written on the car mirror in white pencil: “I conceive of us as separate—the parts that make up me. my body is some stranger. unreliable. uncooperative. inescapable.”

It could kill me,
if it wanted to

I could kill it,
if I wanted to

but neither of us can break the chain.

A car side window as seen from the driver’s seat, within the car. There is no one sitting in the passenger seat. Through the window can be seen a pale blue sky, a chain link fence, a large pond, and a grassy hill upon which sit several houses. Dividing the image in half horizontally, two jagged lines resembling heartbeats are drawn, composed of chain links. The title of the image is written in the top corners and also at the very bottom. “I could kill it, if I wanted to. It could kill me, if it wanted to. but neither of us can break the chain.”

we just have to
keep going
trust each other
stick together
forever
for as long as we can
for as long as it takes.

The windshield of a car as seen from the driver’s seat, with the steering wheel partly visible towards the bottom of the frame. The scenery outside mostly consists of an asphalt road and several trees, but is somewhat obscured by the sun shining through the windshield and creating a lens flare. A single jagged white pencil line resembling a heartbeat follows the contour of the steering wheel. The title of the image is superimposed over it, written in white pencil: “we just have to keep going/trust each other/stick together forever for as long as we can for as long as it takes.”