Temporary Geography
Shannon Collis

Contemporary philosophical and psychological theorists insist that memories are constituted of cultural and personal dispositions. Rather than persisting as a fixed record in the mind, memories amount to ‘traces’ or ‘representations’ that link experiences with recollections of those experiences. The philosopher John Sutton, for instance, suggests that “memories are blended, not laid down independently once and for all, and are reconstructed rather than reproduced.” My own fascination on the subject explores the constructive nature of memory and the inevitable gap that takes place between an original experience and later recall.

I am particularly interested in Tony Bennett’s visualization of memory as a palimpsest, as a repository “that retains all impressions yet offer[s] itself constantly as a clean surface upon which new inscriptions [can] be made.” The concept of memory functioning as a palimpsest implies diverse layers beneath the surface, which are at the same time changing and connected. In my opinion this understanding of memory demonstrates a corollary in different media technologies. For example, the photographic process immediately produces a gap between the actual experience and the resulting image. In effect, digital imaging functions in the same way, but since digital representations can be manipulated and modified indefinitely; the relationship between reality and representation can become unstable or even lost.

My research focuses on the combination of digital technology, traditional printmaking and photographic techniques. In each physical layer and virtual manipulation, the remaining image is a record of past processes. As a result, my prints explore states of authenticity and fiction and how they become inseparable during the reconstructive process.

Exhibition date: August 31 – September 29, 2007

gallery   Toni Hafkensheid   Adrian Cooke