My initial exploration of memory, identity, and image-making – through the concept and perceptions of home led me to conclude that central to my practice is the feeling of respite and exploring how by capturing intimate moments, you can find a sliver of relief and solace.
I shared my first dialogue with the Brazilian graphic designer and co-director of Futuress, Nina Paim. We discussed people’s changing relationships with their environments and domestic spaces, especially during the pandemic and how best to document those memories. She questioned my interest in memory and domesticity and how I could incorporate both to form a new narrative. Furthermore, we discussed the importance of domestic spaces and mundane acts of domesticity. She stated that historically acts of domesticity like cleaning, cooking, and just being at home had been gendered; they’ve been attributed to women in most parts of the world, often signs of oppression. For example, you must clean not because you love to but because it is expected of you. Whereas I see these acts of cleaning as peaceful and empowering, providing them with a different association. Paim recommended I investigate representations of femininity and domesticity in connection with interior architecture.
In addition, she also gave advice about finding your way of creating, researching, and processing. I mentioned how I tend to make first and reason second. In response, she stated how we are provided with specific methodologies throughout our education, but somewhere in between, we must find our own way of making and working. So rather than forcing ourselves into something that doesn’t come naturally, we must find what works best—like trying to find ourselves in different places and creating our sense of familiarity. She spoke about what her path was to where she is now and her experience about staying true to yourself and your work. Paim provided me with insights, references, and validating suggestions on how to take my enquiry and practice further.
For my second dialogue, I wanted to interview someone exploring a similar concept or feeling. I reached out to Priyanka Kaul, a Kashmiri multidisciplinary designer. We had a positive conversation and discussed the connections between a creator’s intent and the viewer’s interpretations. We questioned what the external expectations might be from an artwork or publication. Kaul mentioned how we always ask what we want our art to prove or the impact we want it to have, but no one questions the expectations of the artwork. She claims that thinking about what you want is self-centred, but it comes from a place of needing purpose for your voice. However, when you question its expectations, it opens the door to many more possibilities that your work could impact. These expectations amalgamate the viewer’s biases, thoughts, feelings, and past. This conversation was casual and comforting and furthered my understanding of an artist’s thought process.
Reflecting upon my discussions with Paim and Kaul, I asked myself what my focus should be. What is the story I am trying to communicate? Who is my audience? What impact do I want my work to have, and what emotions am I trying to evoke?
Over the last few months, I investigated and mulled over the following questions – What makes a memory? Is it solely a creation of our perceptions or a combined entity of what we’ve been told? Does it have to be recorded to be remembered? What role does memory play in visual perception? Does memory contaminate and influence perception? Do we only see what’s apparent or also what is not there or that goes unnoticed?