Memory is a bittersweet feeling. The misty appeal of memory’s dreamlike quality inspires many, and yet, forgetfulness is seen as a fault and a burden for all those that fall victim. However, the very concept of memory is dependent on a human’s capacity to forget, just like how light is dependent on the existence of darkness. I often put myself in the shoes of someone who shares my forgotten experience and live through their memories, imagining spending time with a version of me I can no longer reach. On the occasions when I mourn my forgetfulness, I remember no memory is truly gone, and that I carry elements of these past experiences with me.
The pieces present in the exhibit translate down one line of family lineage, and thus, one line of inherited memory. A scrapbook of omissions from the designer’s early childhood tells the story of his fading memory. Poems and images become increasingly convoluted, blurry, and redacted as the viewer follows the winding path of the memory cycle. Accompanying the book are screen prints (made with the emulsion process) representing the designer’s shared memories with his father, as well as a film of home videos from his paternal grandmother’s upbringing in the 40’s.
