"This moving camera piece is a part of a large five-year series called 'Despite the Pain.' This piece is in the 'New Papillon (butterfly)' series and is in the 'Cocooned' subgroup. The whole series is about transformation of suffering into a greater path of evolution and takes inspiration from the Monarch butterfly's migration and the intense path of the universe. This piece, 'Matrix Mind' is about the vast consciousness accessible from within the Cocoon of isolation. As a former dancer, it felt natural to move with my camera and the colors are enhanced in a digital darkroom."

-Artist Laria Saunders

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This print is produced on acrylic plexi.

Laria Saunders (she/her/hers) is a former dancer/photographer whose primary body of work is digital photo assemblage paintings.

Saunders was born in Boston and raised equally there and in New York and Los Angeles. She has lived in many places including, India, Czech Republic, Italy and Mexico.

After long period of isolation living in India, Saunders began experimental moving photography and worked exclusively for five years on a grand scale abstract collection in Switzerland, France and California. By moving with her camera, she created what she calls "earth swabs" to form a tiered collection with the evolution of the imagery growing in complexity every year and paralleling the migration of the Monarch butterfly and her own journey.

Laria has been battling debilitating pain for nearly three decades: Multiple Sclerosis, Transverse Myelitis (demyelination like MS), 17-22 migraines a month, Occipital Neuralgia and countless other painful conditions. Her atypical case has caused false or long delays in diagnosis and treatment. She is fortunate to have mobility, sensation and eyesight however, the pain caused her to live mostly in the dark with ice packs until 2021. Laria has sought treatments all over the world and has been hospitalized a total of 8 months for pain management (mostly in India). She has had six surgeries for pain and countless procedures under anesthesia. Due to many medication allergies, she has sought alternatives, such as having a permanent spinal cord stimulator implanted (SCS-electrical stimulation). Only recently has she been able to manage some of the full-body pain, and every year makes progress towards finding answers. Laria attributes her early obsession with meditation, enabling her to survive the Kafka-esque medical maze. "Hurting from head to toe and losing everything, allowed me to completely and utterly STOP and this turned out to be a great catalyst both spiritually and artistically."