Memory Tools

I am curious about memory, particularly remembering, forgetting and misremembering. My research has led me to explore why objects have been influential in keeping family narratives alive. The Memory Tools are metaphorical tools that explore the historical myths of family memorabilia—the act of remembering and understanding the journeys taken. Based on autoethnographic beginnings, the nature of memory is investigated; however, I have started to explore creating Memory Tools outside of the autobiography. Memory Tools are speculative, fantastical realisations of the relationship between the thing and memory. Each Tool has a particular function relating to a memory process. The traces of being in the making is integral to this exploration. The ontological understanding of memory through my imprint, as a maker, on the thing further deepens this research. My material-led methodology is vital in exploring how materials can become part of the narrative. After constructing the tools primarily from fabric and stitch, they are directly cast in bronze. The act of stitching acts as a tool to contemplate the nature of the memory being remembered or very possibly misremembered. Screws and bolts and other memory-imbued materials are added post-casting. This treatment further reinforces the understanding of how a thing intra-acts with other things and the role of memory in these transactions. The Memory Tools will grow into a collection that, ideally, I would like to see displayed as a whole alongside my father’s tools which was the initial catalyst for developing this research. As this journey grows, I would like to see the collection expanding outside of the autobiography into the community. Other people’s recollections of things crucial to their family’s history can add deeper layers to understanding and advancing the collection.