Memory of the Land

Memory of the land (2020) arose as a by-product of material investigations for the work The Landscape of Loss. After finalizing that work, I was left with a surplus of paper samples on which I had practised the alcohol, ink and glue technique. The samples had accumulated on my desk for a while, before serving as the basis for Memory of the land (2019).

The work Memory of the land (2020) appears like a map from which water is streaming or leaking. Rather than representing a specific landform, I remained receptive and open to the forms that were generated through the process. Every element in this work is indicative of the desert environment including the dominance of the beige colour. More importantly, the form of water waves is reminiscent of the sand patterns as they appear on the desert’s hills propelled by the wind. The similarities between dune patterns and ocean waves have previously been observed by others such as Frank Waters who remarks, ‘the vast sage desert undulates with almost imperceptible tides like the ocean’ (Waters, 1981, p. 4). I also employed this contradiction in encompassing the land’s historical experience of both liquidity and aridity throughout my artworks. The title Memory of the Land suggests that the land has a consciousness of its own past and geologic record. Memory and consciousness are also implied in the work’s visual resonance with the patterns and shape of a brain.