“Memory Support is a tribute to the forgotten stories of family and the remembered stories of friends. When the structure is full and and the cloth faded, I will burn it to send the memories to the sky, then bury the ashes to enrich the earth.”
This has been quite a year of making, reliving, questioning, and forgetting memories. From the brain fog of pre-menopause to my mother’s dementia to the loss of several friends – I’ve been mired in memories.
Overwhelmed by some sad news of a friend’s tragic demise, I went outside to tidy the garden. I ended up building a structure of felled bamboo. It just seemed right and opened a flood of detailed memories about friends and family. I was compelled to write some of these recollections on ribbons of cloth and tie these burst of color to the poles. Over the next few days, the collection grew and some friends joined me in adding their memories to the piece.
Today, I am opening the project to the world. I invite you to add your memories to Memory Support. You’re welcome to stop by in person and rummage in my bag for cloth and a pen. If you aren’t nearby, you can participate via post.
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Write a memory on a strip of cloth or a ribbon at least 20cm/8in long. Any cloth is good and any memory you want to share is fine. You can create as many as you wish.
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Tie your memory to the structure, or send it to me and I will tie it on for you.
Mail your memories to:
Kristen McQuillin
Hiratsuka 1577-2
Kamogawa, Chiba 296-0232
JAPAN
