The Shape of Refractive Memory

Madison Rosner

Imagine a collection of stacked paper cutouts forming a dimensional snapshot that can be interacted with through senses beyond just sight alone.

http://www.madshutterphoto.com/refractivememory

Description

As humans, our views of the world are as unique as we are. Each one of us experiences life and develops our own personal understanding of our perceived reality, sometimes only distinct to our own developed perceptions of existence. What’s most fascinating to me, is that when we look at an object or a series of objects grouped together, we don’t necessarily collectively see them in the same way.

Take the night’s sky as an example — we all see stars when we look up at the interstellar space; however, what we perceive may be totally and completely different from one another. Some of us perceive movements or patterns and can connect the points of light into constellations; others see the interstices, and the dark spaces between the stars. Some see the stars in two dimensions, arrayed like glowing bright dots of light of various sizes on the what seems to be infinite ceiling; others perceive more of a multi-dimension of depth in the varying magnitudes within the interstellar systems.

This concept is also true when turning our focus to our own past events, and as time passes, our perceptual capture of memory begins to fade just like a tattered photograph. When looking back at a particular moment, the details have softened and the lines have blurred into a single collection of flashes, equating to a momentary feeling that ignites similar feelings into a seemingly never-ending well, rather than that of simply a full-sensory recollection of a singular event.

The concept of charged memory and how we as humans have this incredible ability to encapsulate and preserve our emotions and feelings into a multi-dimensional experience that often can only be retrieved in fragments at times. It is only when optimal and keenly timed, that we can access and assemble these remnants into a complete remembrance to see through the sea of haze and hold the moment fully and separate from any other.

Taking into account that Art or more formidable, the latin meaning of Artés, which is more ontological in nature, is a paradigm in itself. It is a way of being and a sentient existence that encompasses the formulation and interpretation within five known senses and beyond. I have found that during my time at ITP, I have been able to synthesize these concepts and it is my aim is to share these notions and how my own personal story aligns to these findings through sculptural art and the undertaking of expressing these ideas.

Classes

Thesis

Presentation Video

http://www.madshutterphoto.com/refractivememory