From first glimpse, the gallery, “The Music Box”, immediately catches you off guard. The plain white wall that you pass while walking down the hall by the FORM Gallery in Calkins Hall has been transformed into a pink box.

As I made my way past the hallway, the vibrant pink wall immediately caught my attention. When you enter the room, it is no longer just a box, but it has been transformed in a whimsical pink alternative world that slowly consumes you.

Surrounding you are a collection of photos that capture the mood and essence of “Alice in Wonderland,” combined with a “Swan Lake” feel.

The gallery starts off with a young girl dreaming and living. Each photo acts as a trail that reveals a little of her insecurity and growth, which eventually leads up to the finale of her turning into a porcelain doll.

In the artist’s statement, Christine Dentato explained how the music box and the porcelain dancer in it became the driving force for why the young girl was so staged, obsessed with her reflection and chasing perfection – hence the use of the multiple mirrors that surrounded the young girl in each photo. As you follow each photograph, the story progresses and the transition of the young girl becomes more evident.

This internal struggle that the audience can sense is truly captured through not only the aesthetic of the photo, but also the body language and interaction between the girl and the mirror.

The connection between the girl and mirror is somewhat mesmerizing. The mirror in each photo becomes a pivotal factor for both the girl and the gallery. It acts as a guiding force and burden throughout her journey of self-identity.

Dentato describes the process of the girl’s journey as emotionally draining because throughout most of it, she experiences sadness, confusion and self-conflict. She allows all of those emotions to consume her, which eventually made her into this inanimate and fragile material that was once alive.

The use of the porcelain dancer was a way to symbolize how hollow chasing perfection can be. With the accompanying popular ballet theme song playing, the gallery as a whole mesmerizes anyone who dares set foot into the world of Christine Dentato.