Memory Reconstruction of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving elegy

Front and Back

 

Inside and Out

Inside and Out

Top and Side

Also! Visit “Process” to view mood board.

SHRINE Artist Statement:

Personally, going back into my past and recollecting memories – the cherish able or tormenting ones – have developed a difficult census of what a memory gets categorized as. Regardless, going into my former life and channeling my former thought-process torments my present time and raises the expectations of the future even higher than before. For instance, the simplistic and traditional holiday of Thanksgiving fits this memory that can be hard to define as either delightful, or saddening. Once, it was beautiful, comforting and anticipated every year. Quickly, it turned into a wilted glimpse of happiness, plus an unattainable expectation for the next year.

When creating a shrine this disheartening after much thought, it was difficult to choose the emotion that I initially derived when swimming into the memory pool. Therefore, I chose to enlighten my recollection of the last Thanksgiving as an entire family, through the nuances that made me smile and share a story in every material. Most boldly, I choose to make this 3D sculpture of an iconic Thanksgiving turkey with copper wire, plattered on a silver cooking tin, highlighted with gold tape, to capture a statue-esque essence with metallics. Also, I wanted to use humor and irony by actually stuffing the turkey with memories (including food), but also to translate the complications of this memory and the difficulty viewing them. Some pictures I utilized were of my family all together, favorite foods, attire worn, place it occurred, classic family photos simulating us around the table, and the Lions football logo. I encased these photos (along with leaves) in newspaper, also giving thought into the newspaper that littered the floors Black Friday-eve. To create a stimulation of all senses, apple-cinnamon scents also decorated the shrine.

Overall, this piece has a flowing usage of color, but also a sense of warmth with the copper against the leaves. It also creates weight with the different sides of the turkey, in addition to the gauge of the wire to the thickness of the tin. But most notably, there is an intriguing usage of depth/space that creates a curiosity for the audience. Through the humor of the turkey and actually stuffing it with memories to commemorate a holiday, I believe the enchantment of the holiday that I decided to categorize it as, shines through the shrine.