Over the past few weeks, I have been considering how my installation can relate to the work of other artists in relation to the representation of interiors and the element of distress.
I have come across the work of Mike Nelson whilst and was intrigued by this artist’s physical manipulation of the exhibition space. For Nelson the distress is an integral part of the particular piece of work illustrated in this post as it would not exist without it. In some respects this is similar to my work too. Whilst mine would still have a physical existence, I do not feel my concept would be communicated as effectively as I strive to represent a fractured past and lost memories.
As I view my space and contemplate how my installation may be perceived by the viewer, I realise something really quite obvious. I have had the idea for a while now that the distress was to specifically signify what I have discussed at length about memories fading away. A word I do not believe I have mentioned in regards to this is ‘abandoned.’ I had not realised until now how much my installation has begun to develop characteristics of an abandoned space.
I think what I have been largely focused upon is the creation of a space for which my prints will be the main attraction and so I have built the whole idea for the installation around these specific works. I am, however, beginning to consider it as a whole which is integral if I am to create the most effective, thought-provoking space possible.
I feel if my ideas had come to me sooner I would’ve been able to achieve this in greater depth. I think spending so much time preparing my space over the past few weeks may have slightly clouded my conceptual and creative vision (especially when spending hours staring at that awful yellow wallpaper!)
I find the context of abandonment quite interesting in correspondance with my previous ideas about memory. When commenting on this subject I feel I have put it in such a way that assumes we have no control over what we remember. When we throw the word ‘abandonment’ into the mix, however, I begin to think about how we can intentionally abandon our memories and our past. I have discovered a breadth of online images which document the nature of abandoned buildings which I feel encompass this concept effectively.
I believe this has the ability to change how my installation can be viewed. Instead of representing an element of my past that I want to remember it is as though I am distressing my work because I want to forget. I feel there is definitely tension between these ideas, although, I suppose being analytical at his level could lead to some very intense debates in regards to how I feel about my past.
In some ways this relates back to the very start of my project where I intended to include an Emin-esque confessional element in my work.
