Unearthing traces of a home : exploring memory, domesticity and absence through a multi-media project

Abstract

An abandoned house inhabits numerous mysteries in the form of familial memories forgotten over time. However, through Urban exploration (Urbex) photography, such neglected places are once again brought to life. This project investigates this type of photography within the framework of memory and the perception of time, in connection with the researcher’s great-grandmother’s derelict house. It consists predominantly of on-site photography and practice based research through digital and analogue editing experimentations on photographs. This project's creative process involves using a practice-based spiral approach which combines these practical experimentations with academic research and semi-structured interviews. The latter were held with family members who resided or frequented the house. The themes of absence and domesticity emerged from this combination of reciprocating research. These themes and those of memory and time, come together to form a conceptual multi-media installation through the integration of photography, sculpture and performance art.