Exhibition floor talk | 25 Impressions of Nostalgia
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Output Type
Other
Publication Title
Exhibition floor talk | 25 Impressions of Nostalgia
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
School
School of Arts and Humanities; ECU Galleries
Description
Exhibition Statement | Nostalgia is a universal and timeless human emotion. One always feels the desire to return to a time and place where there are few worries. However, the time and the place which we long to go back to may be romanticised as we drift further away from them. The notion of Nostalgia is a complex mixture of ideas, some of which probably only exist in our heads. 25 Impressions of Nostalgia explores the nebulous concept of Nostalgia, bringing to life Louise’s own visual interpretation through an array of fragmented imagery.
Louise began her artistic process by asking the question, ‘what is it about certain imagery that gives us the warm and fuzzy feeling associated with nostalgia?’ The feeling of Nostalgia can be very personal and very universal at the same time. While personal experiences are often remembered through tinted glass, popular culture helps associate imagery with fictional narratives, which then get mixed into our memories. The works on display thus combine, distort, preserve, erase, or even attempt to repair, fragments of nostalgic memories, psychological associations and fading fantasies; mixing the collective with the personal, and creating new imagery that reminds the viewer of a past never known, of memories never remembered.
Much like how nostalgic sentiments stem from various channels, the source photos were captured using a wide range of photographic mediums including digital, 35mm, 120mm, colour as well as black-and-white film. The most enjoyable step of the project was selecting which photos were to become part of one image, positioning them this way and that, and playing with the visual effects as they became distorted and merged into one another like nebulas. It is this very process that reveals Louise’s subconscious association, recollection and reimagining. From there, the works take on various display formats, transcribing what Nostalgia may look like in its interpreted form
Artist Bio | Louise Gan is an active photographic artist with a background in cinematography. After achieving multiple international awards and recognition for her film works, Louise began refining her artistic practice by producing photo series that focus on the ever-fascinating human aspects of modern society, using a mixture of film and digital still cameras. Since 2014, she has exhibited solo and within groups at a variety of galleries and venues in Western Australia, as well as published her photographs internationally.
Louise completed her Master of Professional Communications with the WA Screen Academy at Edith Cowan University, following her Bachelor of Media degree at Murdoch University. She currently works as a Photo Media Technical Officer at the School of Arts and Humanities at ECU.
Additional Information
Exhibition dates: 12 October to 9 November | Floor talk: Wednesday 18 October 12:30pm – 1:30pm