Alana Davis
In this current time of uncertainty and isolation, I and others have found ourselves being naturally impelled towards connection with those we love. This has invited a contemplative disposition that has opened the door for memories to rush from the forgotten realms of the subconscious to the conscious. In my series, Times Passed, I have chosen to replicate imagery from my own past using the tactile medium of needlepointing, because it showcases how sensory interaction has the power to evoke nostalgia – particularly for forgotten memories of family and home. Likewise, the ambiguity of the image – inexact and non-formed – will spur a sense of obscure familiarity in the viewer’s own mind that will then swiftly instigate the resurfacing of their own memory or memories. My installation, titled Remembrance, emphasises the polarising nature of memory; how it can be both persistent and transient. The physical aspect of the work is a representation of the persistence of memory, where each crocheted and knitted rectangle is an embodiment of a unique memory. The diaphanous surface of the individual rectangles, the holes created by missed stitches within them, and any pulls in the thread that emerged over time implicate the transience of memory like the ephemeral shadow it casts. This body of work is centred on finding closeness and connection in a time of isolation, aiming to highlight the intangible nature of memory by creating a tangible counterpart through the use of tactile mediums that utilise repetition to facilitate the process of remembering.
Times passed #1, 2020
Cotton yarn, twist canvas, cotton thread
138mm x 107mm x 7mm
Times passed #2, 2020
Cotton yarn, twist canvas, cotton thread
98mm x 137mm x 7mm
Times passed #3, 2020
Cotton yarn, twist canvas, cotton thread
98mm x 137mm x 7mm
Remembrance, 2020
Cotton thread
1250mm x 690mm x 43mm
