Memento is an exploration of nostalgia in relation to a subjective history and collective memory. The work depicts images that can be attached to a person’s past. The content is derived from popular culture, making reference to film and other printed media.
These landscapes are devoid of a human figure, but makes reference to the existence of humans. The lack of human form frees the viewer to impose themselves in these situation. The landscapes are arrested moments in time, residing outside the context of history, but fall within a collective memory. Nostalgia functions like a photograph, simply showing us events that have occured, but that are no longer happening. In this vein photograph and nostalgia share the need for context or historical grounding.
Nostalgia focuses on a specific person’s experience, usually one of peace and enjoyment, neglecting the struggles of other people. Memento challenges the viewer to contextualize these moments that are seemingly innocuous, and to consider histories that are not theirs. Though one may experience bliss during “the good old days” these moments are not shared by all and are often at the expense of others. How does one’s personal history interplay with a collective memory? How does nostalgia impact our social evolution?
