Places of Memory

Coincidences are an amazing thing, not unlike memories, they are pretty must impossible to design or encapsulate. They just happen through some deep hidden connection in your mind. I have been thinking  bit about memory and I happened upon an exhibition of Angela Grauerholz’s Photos at at RIC in Toronto. Her “almost retrospective” focusing on an ongoing theme of hers, she is interested in the French concept of ”Lieux de Memoire” (sites or places of memory). Her take is this is the very opposite of Henri Cartier Bresson’s “decisive moment”, which is more a coming together or a special geometry, of people, of places and light, a serendipity, perhaps a coincidence. Both of these concepts that need a mind to expose them but they are perhaps opposites.

 

One piece I particular liked was her cabinette memoire, which was a large box like construction, Something that you might find in an older Public Library or Museum, wonderful cabinetry. On the top where a number of slide out panels. Each panel looked like a conventional box framed print (without a matte). However each had two sides and another print on the reverse side. The prints showing opposites themes, looking one way may be a door of window looking in. or interior, looking the other was the door of window framing the view outside or an exterior view.