‘Nostalgia’ means a wistful desire to return to a former time in one's life; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a another place or time. So I wanted to discover for myself what this bittersweet feeling stands for, its impact and power, how it works, its effects, which senses stimulate nostalgia and what it can do to a human being.
I started off with a two dimensional collage where I re-evaluate the meaning of what we consider important. In the background there are images that have defined a certain era. And on the second layer you can see a collection of personal memories. Next we have three dimensional assemblages that are supposed to transport the audience back to these four defining decades. The forties, the sixties, the seventies en the eighties. These periods are slowly fading away in a certain colour showing nothing can be preserved and time passes no matter what. A photographic study followed from this and I blew these out to a larger format. The colors of the sculptures were selected from these said pictures. Then we have an installation of empty traditional luggages, symbolizing how we all carry our own baggage of memories. They don’t have any material value but instead emotional content. Finally, draping in this set up, I have sewn a slowly growing patchwork out of pieces of fabric of different colors, textures, patterns, shapes etc. This stands for the confusing puzzle of recollections that shapes our mind.
Informative Research:
Illustrative Research:
Photographic Research:
Moodboard:
The purpose of my project is to ultimately challenge the viewer to take a second look at their life and to realize that nostalgia is nothing but an illusion.