Project evaluation

Memory erasing

 

Throughout this project my intention has been to broaden my use of different and unusual materials. Many of my samples portray a minimal approach to the use of materials, by using gesso and plaster; as seen in the images they have been applied with a repetitive nature in order to express the concept of something (a memory or thought) gradually building up over a certain period of time. Through my samples I wanted to express how in relation to my original idea of memory erasing that perhaps memory can never truly be erased and that it is deep-rooted inside and it may not be clear but it still remains; by following this concept I made my samples very subtle and delicate, concealing marks through drawing and stitch.

Initially most of my samples were rather flat and I experimented with different ways of making more 3D samples. From researching dementia and other memory loss illnesses, many sufferers will go for long periods of time not remembering anything and then there will be some kind of spark that makes them remember something (the light bulb effect), a long forgotten thought or memory. I started then using light bulbs and glow in the dark paint, bringing actual light to the samples.

The samples using the glow in the dark paint made me think more about the use of colour, as I have used a very minimal palate, the glow in the dark makes very neutral marks until the surroundings darken and the marks turn a luminous green. This also reflects my idea of concealing and revealing as the marks are concealed by the light of the room. Also from attending the embroidery workshops it has made me think more about the marks made from stitch and how to apply them using different media.

My main inspiration for this particular project originally came from watching a film called ‘The eternal sunshine of the spotless mind’, about how two people have one another erased from their memories but how overtime they slowly remember each other. This then led to further research about the science behind memory erasing and how during the twin towers disaster many people were trained to use this specialist equipment on the victims of the disaster. For the summer project I researched brain circuits and experimented with ideas of making my own circuits through repetitive stitch and trying to make sense of a subject that is very complex but then simplifying it in my own my and creating samples in an order and categorising them.

This project has been moulded in a way to potentially be displayed as an installation piece in a gallery. I think some of the pieces I have made in this project would benefit from being displayed in a very blank space as I would want the space to reflect the clinical look of the work relating back to the scientific elements, I think this would make the audience think more about what each piece reflects in terms of minimalism and the concealed meaning behind them.