Ephemeral
adjective
1. lasting for a very short time
Our memories are important to us, remembering people, places and experiences are key to life. Imagine then, for a second, you could not remember your family, or where you met the one you love. Imagine parts of them wiped away, left with frustrating glimmers of something that you cannot piece together as much as you try. For a fleeting second you may see a face, be able to smell the sea, only for it to be gone, you cannot remember why you can taste the salt water at the back of your throat. If you can imagine this for a second, you may be able to empathise with some one suffering with dementia.
Photographs are essential to recording moments in life, they freeze time so you may re live your memories forever. However you can not actually freeze time or memory.
After losing my Grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, a year and a half ago I embarked on a project focusing on the theme of memory. Since then, I documented my Grandfather’s life, coping without his wife, and with dementia himself. I leafed through family albums, and discovered our family archive, using this to visualise memory loss, by changing the image, making them unrecognisable. I showed my Grandfather’s worsening condition through his eyes, so everyone could understand the horror that is dementia, and memory loss.
‘Ephemeral’ is an extension of my focus on memory. I use ice in a conceptual way, to visualise just how temporary his memories are. By creating a unique piece of art, that only remains for minutes, and can only be frozen by the use of a camera, I communicate the idea that not only is life transient, but so are the memories of my Grandfather. The ice obstructs the image incased, manipulating the memory, and as it melts, it shows the memory fading away. I also used this process to convey my feelings about the disease, and my own existence.