For my clothing alterations project, I transferred images of my childhood memories to the shirts. Every shirt got an individual memory, different from the others. The memories varied from vivid to vague as far as how I look at them. They also vary in time, from 1-10 years old. What they have in common is their intention, they are all markers of the time period in which I had lived.
I chose this as an idea because lately I’ve been asked ‘why photography?’ as a major. It’s hard to explain that I’m drawn to the richness of film photographs as of those like Robert Mapplethorpe’s and the ghastly glow of nightlife in those likeNan Goldin’s. It’s hard to explain that I hang up all my old photographs on the fridge, and look through them every day to remember. It’s hard to explain that seeing these moments makes me feel so connected. A camera is a tool to remember, to capture a still of life in motion. Life doesn’t stop moving but a camera can collect these moments and make them live forever.
Mapplethorpe (For reference) Nan Goldin (For reference)
Some ideas I thought of prior to this involved childhood elements, but in a different way.
I thought about adding cartoons from my childhood onto the shirts because they marked a generational aspect that I believed mostly everyone in the class would remember or have an understanding of. However, this wasn’t personal enough to me as an artist, I wanted to dig a little deeper.
I started to formulate more ideas by sketching out my memories: I thought about painting memories, but I believed photos would look cleaner, convey the idea better, and relate to my major/how I view my life. I went further in the concept by deciding to place a specific and individual memory on each shirt, making up 17 memories!
I chose my own photos from my life as opposed to another person’s or artist’s because A) I know myself best B) I wanted to depict the everyday life of a regular person C) My childhood is a big theme in a lot of my work.
I carefully chose the 17 photographs from a box in my apartment labeled “CAROLINE GRACE” in sharpie. Here is my process:
- I scanned the photographs
- I printed them on transfer paper
- I ironed the transfer paper on the shirts
- I peeled off the excess after 2 minutes
I found the process to be really successful and easy to do. The pictures came out really clear focused and clean looking on the shirts! I would definitely try this again for another project, or on my own time.
