Vestige

Abstract

Our memories are, in essence, the summation of who we are. With age, our memory starts to slip away. The disintegrating effect of time is slowly eroding our stored experiences. This document explores the means and methods in which I explore the preservation of memory through use of place material. For the past few years I have struggled with the loss of memory, place, and loved ones. I wanted to find a way in which to preserve my own memory and experiences as a tangible object. In order the create these "memory- objects" I explored visual, auditory, and tactile cues that coalesce to become a means of triggering a distinct memory. I am taking place-material from the geographical location in which a specific memory that I wish to preserve was formed. I am then using the place-material to create a permanent memory-trigger. The process and preservation of those memories as tangible objects combine with specific triggers to create an object that is linked to a particular memory; which I refer to as "vestigial memory-objects". Through this process of locating and preserving, I have recovered memories that had faded into the recesses of my consciousness. In summation, I explore the means in which my process recovers memory and discuss how my work acts as a physical catalog of the experiences I wish to preserve.