Initiation
In July I finished a commissionned work called Portable, Memory, Box. The starting point was the 70ieth birthday of the clients' father/father in Law. When I first heard of the occasion I thought of a private memory landscape that would touch on people and things this person loves, loved and will love.
Concept: Portable, Memory Box
My plans began to take concrete form as I was told the father has had a passion for photography and film all his life and his favorite views are of the sea and the mountains. I decided to design a black box which would hold three frames so that he could create his own photocollages of his past, present and future. Each of these photocollages providing the background for the other. The background for it all would be a painting of the most pleasant view for the owner of the box. I wanted the box to be a part of the furniture in the house, something that can be lived with. But at the same time the box had to be moveable, it had to travel light, so that when the owner would travel to see his family, he could take it with him.
Realisation
The box was made to look like a cross between a camera and a cupboard. There are three frames inside with glass on both sides, against a painted background of hills and water by the owner's granddaughter and me. The glass frames are empty and to be filled by the owner and his family/friends to become a dynamic collage of memories and things yet to come.
The box was made to look like a cross between a camera and a cupboard. There are three frames inside with glass on both sides, against a painted background of hills and water by the owner's granddaughter and me. The glass frames are empty and to be filled by the owner and his family/friends to become a dynamic collage of memories and things yet to come.
To light the `view' of it all You can just leave the door open or, when dark, place a candle or lamp next to the box. Furthermore, the Portable, Memory, Box comes with wheels and 2 types of handles (pull and lift).
[Phtgrphs: Judith Weik]