Abstract:
Passing On is a phrase associated emphatically with death but also with transactions between generations, from one generation to another, value, stories , as well as actual objects are passed down through a line of people. Each person taking on a different role as caretaker of the same objects; just like with people, each of us respond to objects in different ways. Through the use of video, I plan to represent the growth of a relationship between a human and a collection of inanimate objects.
This collection of objects represent to me a chunk of my grandmother's life that she has now lost. Even though these objects have merely been relocated, from her home to mine, she holds no recollection of their physical presence in the world; to her they never existed. This video will be an investigation into my personal insecurities with the quasi-ownership of my grandmother's memories and how these insecurities affect my grandmother, our objects, and our relationship.
The video will be performance and self-portrait based, it will take place in the parameters of an oriental rug that will become the stage to this narrative. The rug represents tradition, order, and a physical platform that represents my grandmother, for me to perform upon. The video is recorded from above and is only representational of the boundary of the rug, as well as what is in the parameters of the rug. The video is projected from the ceiling of the gallery onto a platform measuring 4" in height and roughly 4xT feet in width and length respectively. The platform will sit at least 2 feet out from any wall or can be free standing in the middle of the room with 2 feet left empty around the platform for audience movement. The audience will look down onto the platform to view the projection. Accompanying the projection will be a free standing speaker, standing the height of my grandmother, 5'3" tall. The speaker omits my grandmother's voice, reciting significant life stories and observations about herself and her family.
