MNEMONIC REVERSAL, 2018
embroidery floss, fabric, wood
“THESE ARE EXPERIENCES OF MEMORY. PLEASE DISMANTLE AT WILL.” - exhibition instructions
This work was part of a student show intended to explore interactive artworks and experiential gallery exhibitions. The inspiration for the work is a photograph of me, the artist, as a child, around age 5. The photo is linked to a particular memory, though over time the significance of the memory and what it represents as a consistent motif in my childhood, has evolved.
The choice in medium is deliberate— embroidery is typically considered a domestic, feminine activity, even as it evolves into less traditional art forms. In the same way, emotional labor and socialization still disproportionately falls to women to undertake, for themselves and for others. The tedious repetition of stitching the image reflects the emotional labor I have undertaken to examine the experience of my childhood.
In translating this emotional labor into a physical act of embroidery, I process the memory in a way that requires consistent work and patience. Though the emotional labor is tied to the physical work, the memory is not destroyed with the work, highlighting both its vulnerability and its power. Rather, the destruction of the artwork acknowledges that memory cannot live untouched by the influence of external forces, and the relinquishing of control over the physical artwork signifies a relinquishing of control over the narrative.
As the artwork is destroyed, it allows room for emotional work to be performed in the present rather than stitched to the resentments of the past.
A special thank you to Michelle Leftheris, my advisor, for the prompt, guidance, and opportunity to explore this concept. Additional thanks to all who visited the gallery and interacted with the artwork, my unwitting collaborators.