This project centered on the notion of memory, which is inextricably linked to our own personal identity. It deals with the importance of forgetting in an increasingly digital world, a world where everything is online, screen-shotted, backed up, and all but impossible to delete – for better or for worse.
The sculptural kiln-formed glass tryptic permanently preserves the destruction of genuine family photographs between two pieces of glass that have been fused together. The viewer is able to consider the mysterious charred remains both singularly in their own right, and also collectively by peering through the glass to observe the whole that they are working together to create; in much the same way as a person’s accumulation of memories can contribute to the wholeness of their identity. Emotive and visceral reactions are induced by walking around the small diameter of the plinth, with eyes firmly fixed on the work, feelings of disorientation and dizziness can begin to creep in.
Echoing this circling is the cyclic process of forgetting and remembering that is explicitly demonstrated in the three animated flipbook boxes scattered throughout the exhibition space. Reminiscent of distinct fragments within our minds, these boxes allow the viewer to interact with and interpret the work in their own organic and unique way. The viewer is given enough space to form personal meaning and understanding as they stumble upon each new part of the piece, and as they do, they are prompted to recall their encounters with the previous. Acting as a metaphor, this speaks to the ways in which people can, despite going through the exact same experiences, still be capable of emerging with their own individual identities.