What happened consists of five groups of work: woven, witness, remembrance, fade and forgotten. Each group invites comparison with different aspects of human memory, moving from its formation to the contemplation of complete forgetfulness. Can we ever be certain of what happened?

Woven -gives consideration to the weaving and re-weaving of our ever shifting perceptions of what happened. The compositions below are just a small sample of the multitude of possible permutations.

 

woven, 2006, twelve over lapping sheets of paper 60cmx90cm (total dimensions variable), rice paper, naphtol dye, varnish, eyelets, press pins

 

 

witness, 2006 - a series of three framed works 38cm x 30cm, rice paper, naphtol dye, varnish

 

remembrance - created from the salvaged remains of a previous work these five fragments have been carefully framed behind glass and given individual standing. The new context has shifted them far from their original incarnation.  Disjointed relics, they give scant indication of the scale and nature of the work of which they were once part.  Like the selectively enshrined memories of an individual or group, they are validated by the ‘truth’ they create.

 remembrance, 2006 - a series of five framed works 38cm x 30cm, rice paper, naphtol dye, varnish

 

remembrance, detail

 

fade - simulates the effect of time on memory. Consecutive sheets of paper were subjected to slightly different ‘experiences’. As a result, negative spaces open and close and different elements attain prominence. Some details are ‘remembered’, others are ‘warped’ or ‘forgotten’ and with greater distance from the origin, they gradually fade.

 

fade, 2006, seven over lapping sheets of paper 60cm x 90cm (total dimensions variable), rice paper, naphtol dye, varnish, eyelets, press pins

 

forgotten - With the final step of the process abandoned there is no record of what happened.  All that remains is a shimmering emptiness that nevertheless carries its own meaning and weight.

 

forgotten, 2006, six over lapping sheets of paper 60cm x 90cm (total dimensions variable), rice paper, naphtol dye, varnish, eyelets, press pins

 

The following images are from what happened, Esa Jaske Gallery, 4th - 28th October, 2006.

 

The shared ‘experience’ of the components of each work did not result in identical images. Folded, clamped or tied in the same manner, immersed in the same dye bath for the same duration, even a slight difference in orientation affected the record; the more pronounced the difference, the greater the disparity.

 

the following images are from paper memories, Side-on gallery, Annandale, 2004 - a reconfiguration of elements from Newcastle city west ARTwalk installation plus additional 'experiences' – rice paper, rice paper, naphtol dyes, damar varnish, beeswax ,metal eyelets, press pins, variable dimensions