Memory Palace (2011)
160-page book
Color laser printing
Hand-taped folded accordian binding
Unique copy
Produced while in residence at the American Academy in Rome in 2011, Memory Palace is a book object that documents three desire lines that resonate and conjure meaning in Rome: 1) The rioni neighborhood boundary lines of 1744 2) The 13 bridges crossing the geographical cut of the Tevere river, and 3) The scavi (excavations) below the city, including the story of Saint Peter’s bones (place-based narratives). Each desire line presented a friction where time, place, and story rubbed up together.
The book contained histories (my past, Rome’s)—a non-space to store objects, associations, and meaning. The book was a structure to contain the artifacts: desire lines, relics, and maps. It was like a reliquary, housing the remains of lost memory (clues to past experiences) as well as new material. As a photographic investigation, I used Memory Palace to ask if the image can ever evoke real meaning, or if this is an impossible task. Can a single pixel be like a relic—a holy fragment that stands for the whole (and retains all of its power)? Can a single pixel open up new dimensions for exploring the image? What kinds of faith are required to investigate the photograph?
