My personal understanding of 'Memory' is that it is something that has happened; a past experience. In order to gain a more concrete idea I decided to look up the dictionary meaning.
mem·o·ry
[mem-uh-ree]
noun, plural mem·o·ries.
1.
the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognising previous experiences.
2.
this faculty as possessed by a particular individual: to have a good memory.
3.
the act or fact of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, etc.; remembrance; recollection: to draw from memory.
5.
a mental impression retained; a recollection: one's earliest memories.
In light of this, I now understand that memory is much more complex than i previously thought. In reference to the project which looks at 'Future memories' I think this obviously means Future aspirations etc but as well as this I think it also refers to possibilities. For example the film, Blade Runner to me, explores the possibilities. It is set in 2019 yet it was created in 1982. The main character a 'blade runner' (kills the loose replicants) may in fact be a replicant himself. The possibilities are endless.
In order to further my research I will be exploring representations of Memories/Future memories in different disciplines.
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| Sophie Calle, The hotel: room 46 |
"...These works had involved me so much in the act of following that I wanted, in a certain way, to reverse these relationships. So I asked my mother to hire a private detective to follow me, without him knowing that I had arranged it, and to provide photographic evidence of my existence."
I find work of Calle interesting because she is very daring as she crosses a lot of barriers by pretending to be a chamber maid and even going to the extent of being followed by a private detective. I also think what makes her Hotel project strong is the fact that she has no personal ties with the guests which objectifies her findings and could even allow them to be classed as pieces of sociological research.
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| Alex Roulette, Fictional memories |
This image is of a boy in a field staring at a flying car. I found this interesting, aesthetically not only because of its realistic features although it's painted but also because it's a memory of Roulette's but a fictional one. Conceptually, this is very thought provoking as although from looking at the image anyone would say its clearly fictional its ironic how although we sometimes question our memories- whether or not out recollection is accurate we never actually think maybe its fictional altogether. For example in Blade runner one of the characters, Rachael was unaware she was a replicant. Her proof of this was her memories however as Roulette has illustrated, memories can be unreliable.
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| Christo and Jean-Claude, The Wrapping of the Reichstag |
Initially, upon viewing several images of the wrapped Reichstag ( German Parliament- Berlin) my first reaction was 'What's the point of this?'. Not in the context of Memories alone but in general, I didn't understand although I thought visually it looked amazing. I just couldn't conceptually comprehend it until I recalled the time period and the history of Germany. In reference to memories, I this Wrapping the Reichstag was done with the intention of leaving an impression on whoever had the privilege of viewing it. I also think it was to change impressions of the building itself as it seemed ti be known for mostly 'democracy'.
I found Christo's response to his critics intriguing as it made me his works are simply memories and having the knowledge that the work is only available for a short amount of time makes it better as all good things must come to an end.
"I am an artist, and I have to have courage ... Do you know that I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain."
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| Adam Wells, The Circle line |
I really enjoyed this animation because I felt that I could relate to the protagonist in the story as I saw him go through different obstacles. I think the importance of the setting (futuristic- shopping mall) is to show that although things may change, some stay the same as the character still has to go through the same challenges as he would in this present time. In reference to the theme of Memories i think this animation is someone's imagination of what the future will be like when it comes to the challenges we face. I also think the idea of shared memories is present here as everyone and anyone would be able to relate.
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| Do Ho Suh, Fallen star 1/5 |
Visually, Suh's work is very emotive as I immediately make connections between myself and the houses i've lived in. This lead me to think, 'What makes a house a home?' I think the memories make a house a home. Nevertheless I think Suh wanted his work to have a deeper effect than that as the house in the image looks quite torn apart.
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| Inception, Christopher Nolan I watched this film quite some time ago and every now and then I still contemplate the ending and whether or not I correctly interpreted it. In terms of memories, this film has to be one of the most confusing representations, however that is precisely why I love it so much. It makes you think. http://www.themindofgame.com/2010/08/11/inception-review/ |
As I've studied Frankenstein previously, I am familiar with the theme and structure of it. The theme of memory is reflected in the epistolary form it's written in.
http://www.penguin.com.au/jpg-large/9780141439471.jpg
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