Passing through – memories, the mind and other things
I first started thinking about and collecting memories from exhibition visitors a year ago. I was interested in how memories shape our futures and wanted to incorporate this into my work. How do you remember and capture a memory? I realised my preoccupation with drawing empty boxes and making grids reflected the missing and obscure memories of my childhood. I wanted to explore filling those boxes and creating holders, to capture things hidden and forgotten.
The collected memories written by exhibition visitors on folds of paper became significant in themselves; a small library of individual importance to the authors who once they started to write became totally committed to recording their happy, sad or disturbing memory. It has taken me some time to consider how to interpret their commitment and will be an ongoing part of my work.
My drawings became a wall of thoughts, shapes and images – compartmentalising and placing to make order out of the chaos in my mind. My studio started to feel crowded, a depository of memories real and imagined taking up too much space, pushing out the rationality required to survive everyday life. Words became important in describing and thinking about memories: forgotten – fused – stitched into place – fixed – false – real – black – white – you – me - them. The thing in the shadows the uncomfortable passing memory that can be ignored until it touches you again. The happy memories we cling to. Our memories become something else they become our selves.
