exhibitions archive: memories

"Memories"

An interest in the process of visual "thinking" is what began this work.

 

MEMORIES: Photographer’s Statement

It would be interesting if we could see how our memories were formed. Following a trail left by the electrical and chemical impulses within our brains from cell to cell and from one brain region to another watching the process take place. Would such a clinical approach really tell us much about the making of a memory? Perhaps we would learn more about brain function than about why we were creating that memory. Maybe we would be surprised to find the path leading to other parts of our physical system.

What does a memory feel like? How does it feel when it’s being made? Being recalled? What clues aid in the recall? It seems to be a rather mysterious process taken for granted yet so important to our daily lives. Many of our memories are mundane items such as math facts, etc. Others are more powerful and unique, more personal. This type can involve several senses in storing and/or retrieving. For some people, memories are visual, others tune in to sounds, smells or touch, etc. At times the memory is of something inside us, a feeling perhaps; maybe we don’t even know what it is. If we followed the trail of this latter type we might find ourselves beyond the brain and in the heart!

In a way these more personal heartfelt memories are like dreams, leaving us with some form of “image” which often is unrecallable until we receive a stimulus that triggers retrieval. We may feel it came out of “nowhere” taking us by surprise. For me these dreamlike memories are similar to little snippets from a film, seemingly stopped at random, giving a chance to better see what was there when running at full speed. When stopped there is an apparent blur or haze or some otherworldly feeling that is there, perhaps to separate the past from the present and dream from reality.

“Memories” is an ongoing exploration of this effect and an effort to convey the feel of memories from simple moments. I have chosen to use materials and tools that portray the separation of memory from the present in a way similar to the snippet described above. Through these photographs I seek clues about why a personal memory is created and how it becomes embedded – preserved until released. These images are representations of memories created in the process of tracking their formation.