"Muted Reflection Man," original piece realized in 2019 by Erica Lorraine Parker.

The image shown investigates the dichotomy of the liberties that we earn as adults and the freedoms we believe are innate. Depicted, is the portrait of Desmond Cole. A young Toronto native who has been interrogated by police more than 50 times. The young activists' interview with TorontoLife spans over three pages, and ironically, his personal story is not a national headliner. He is a young black man living in what most people would call a "utopia" in Toronto, Canada, when in reality, he has been surrounded by racism that contributes that to a self-perpetuating cycle of criminalization and imprisonment. This series
"Muted Reflections" is inspired by Desmond's partial reflection. In his interview, he describes how he feels about his appearance. He believes that people fear him when they see him. This is a phenomenon coined by African-American writer and activist W.E.B Du Bois as "double-consciousness": how when blacks experience
reality, it's often through their own eyes and through the eyes of a society that prejudges them. Desmond's story embodies this experience as he goes through a series of tribulations with police, hatred/fear from different communities, and
trouble with his own identity. This piece magnifies that juxtaposition; between how we actually see ourselves and the social constructs that weigh on us as we come of age; eventually changing our perception. This media incorporates an array of
mirrored demonstrations; from the background, where all of us can exist with Desmond in his portrait; to his eyes -the façade of a reflection -a shiny metaphysical representation of what Desmond desperately wants to see.

Erica Lorraine Parker is a designer with more than 10+ years experience using Adobe Creative products. She received her 5 year N.A.A.B Accredited Degree from Howard University located in Washington, D.C. Currently, she works as a Healthcare Architectural Designer in New York at one of the largest Architecture firms in Manhattan and has 2.5 years of full time work experience. Combining her passion for digital art, architecture, and technology, Lorraine creates visual identities and 3D concepts using a variety of software and coding.