Memory can be a tricky thing. When asked to recall a certain event or time, I often find it very difficult to accurately bring to mind much of what I have experienced in my life. I often contributed this to genetics because my father is extremely forgetful and I find myself following in his footsteps more and more. Much of my memories are very scattered and skewed. I often fell like I am barely flitting through my life experiences when I try to evoke them.
As a photographer, I not only use the camera to create new imagery to communicate a concept, but I also use it to record my experiences. I have done a lot of traveling and have many photographs to "prove" where I have been. I love looking back at these images I captured because they hemp me remember my past. This is one of the reasons I became interested in photography in the first place.
In this series, there are two layers to each image. The silver gelatin images presented are from a trip to France in 2001. I have drawn over these images with oil pastels in order to convey what happens when I look at these images. When I view them, I am taken back to the time of my travels, but I never can fully remember my experiences. The images become representations of a time in which I used to exist, but to my present self, they are just that- representations. The photographs remind me of places I once visited, and it is with this proof that I am able to remember some fleeting memories of my travels.
The second layer is of a figure in each image, which is a self-portrait depicting how I interact with my memories. As I have said before, may times my memory is skewed and much of the information that is missing is filled in with my imagination. I often skirt through imagery in my mind of past events that may or may not always be accurate. Many times my memories become daydreams and I find myself contemplating my past experiences like a waking life. The figures are in color and are captured digitally to contrast with the silver gelatin prints. This is also a metaphor for the past versus the present which is a major part of how memory functions.
There are seven images in this series consisting of two parts. The base image is a silver gelatin print with mixed media using black and white oil pastels. The second layer is an image captured digitally then inkjet printed with color on transparency. The layers are representations of the past and present and the way I interact with my memories.
