vanda campbell: Material Memories

There has been much discussion in the Campbell / Walsh household (artist / scientist ... say no more) on material memories. Or more specifically, how the narrative of memory can be made evident in objects. A major stumbling block has been the artist's (my) assertion that there is such a thing as a material memory, which has been opposed at every opportunity by the scientist's assertion that memories may be triggered by an object, but cannot actually reside in the object.

Like many others, I have long been attracted to antique embroidery samplers. Technically challenging, exquisitely executed ... evidence of hours and hours of work. What would the impact be if I were to reduce this work to a memory. A lucky find of a beautifully stitched tray cloth in a charity shop offered an opportunity to investigate, but my usual ruthless approach to destruction was unexpectedly halted. Not dissimilar to taking the first cut when cutting out a dressmaking pattern from cloth, I found it incredibly difficult to make the first incision. However, cut I did, and painstakingly removed the stitches, colour by colour.

Was I being disrespectful to the original stitcher? Would it be possible to reduce this work to a memory and if so, what would its impact be? To be honest, I'm still not sure. Once the first stitch had been removed, the original beauty was slowly replaced by a new, quieter, aesthetic. The process was slow and considered, and allowed plenty of opportunity for reflection ... and I suspect that it is in the reflection that the real memory work was happening.