Memento

April 30, 2018

Circadian

Materials & Dimensions

Pine Wood
Wood Stain
Beeswax
3 3/4" x 3 1/2" x 1/2"

Artist Statement on Circadian

Circadian is a memory response resulting from portraying some of the sensory elements of a particular memory. It's essentially as if a slice of time were solidified in an object the size of a palm. To make an object like this, the memory that begets it must be of a substantial caliber; there must be ample amounts of sight, smell, touch, audible memory that can be recalled. This memory must then be mentally stylized in a way that emphasizes certain aspects of the memory: these are the aspects that will be emphasized in the sculpture, and ultimately become the representative pieces of the memento. The memory that I chose was of me recording videos of myself drumming in my freshman year dorm. I had been struggling with depression, weight loss, and heavy drug use at the time, and I remember the physical act of drumming becoming an alien and almost unholy performance. The visual effects from my memory depict highly saturated colors and textures that are thick like a congealed plasma. The sonic element is repetitive and steady, but haphazard, because I couldn't properly control my hands. In tactile remembrance, I feel a wavering quality to everything I touch - the ground, the drumsticks, my hands and legs - none of them knew structural integrity. I remember the smell of cherry medicine, and the taste of cough syrup and milk, mixed with malt beverage and turmoil. These sensations are what make up Circadian. The saturated lighting on the wavering structure, dipped in stain and beeswax represents all the colorful emotions coursing through me at the time. The structure itself reminisces with the circular drum heads, and the rugged edges echo the feeling of a wobbling steadiness. The miniature drumsticks pierce this form and rest in the middle. This piercing and resting represents the cold and bitter tastes and feelings, as well as the clumsiness developed from the mental state I was in. Thus, Circadian is a relic of a past self that has all but disappeared, and revealed a new and stronger human underneath.