REMEMBER WHEN

APPROACH

Remember When transforms photographs of desolate places into semi-fictive representations of reconstructed memories. Nostalgic portrayals of my bygone childhood and early youth are presented as photographic fragments, granting first-person insight into snippets of my past. This depiction runs parallel with a secondary approach: an investigation into the objects left behind within each photograph. Here, waste objects are regarded as clues to the memory-specific context of each photograph; the location, quality, and nature of each item are to some extent indicative as to the exact happenings of which lead to their initial placement. As such, the extracted items communicate a specific detail relating to each memory, and as such are imbued with a degree of sentimentality which transforms each object from waste into relics. 

Whilst personal experience serves as primary influence within my practice, Remember when being no exception to this rule, the project advances from mere personal expression by exploring nostalgia for its theoretical, visual aesthetic, and conceptual potential. Drawing hugely upon the nostalgic qualities and theology of memories in In Search of Lost Time by Marcus Proust, Remember when seeks to present the contrast between our memories and the reality of the same place. Proust describes this quest as “paradoxical”, explaining that “there is no reason why, existing outside ourselves, a real place should conform to the pictures in our memory rather than those in our dreams.” (Proust, 1921) As such, a gap is formed between the relationship have with a place (as dictated and by our memories), its appearance of which we remember it as, and the reality of its state.

The narrative of Remember would be significantly enhanced if presented as a photobook as this would boost the storytelling aspect within this project. Hypothetically, the style of Remember when as a photobook would be reminiscent of a traditional family album, echoing the memory aspect of this concept. Furthermore, this project would benefit from implementing a social strategy. By incorporating other peoples’ stories of their youth, this wider range of memories would yield a wider appeal to the audience as there would be increased elements viewers would be familiar with.

PHOTOGRAPHY