You Were There
My grandparents lived through opposing sides of history. They vowed to defend the course of their existence - abrupt death and dementia had other objectives. My Uncle took over for them. He was an avid researcher and spent years understanding our ancestry. He passed away unexpectedly in 2021.
His collection of many years of familial research remains locked behind the numerous irretrievable passcodes securing his devices. Despite his research archived in a shared digital folder, the rapid advancements of technology have outdated the majority of these files. The evidence of the lives before me remains trapped within the realm of cyberspace.
You Were There explores the relationship between myself and my ancestors, seeking to reactivate lived experiences of wartime trauma. These works are succumb to the mutability of memory as it's handed down through generations. This exhibition pays homage to the computer and the birth of ever accelerating, rapidly evolving technology. You Were There attempts to reconcile the degradation of ancestral history with the duty to preserve and retell what must never be forgotten.
This exhibition was sponsored by the Southern Graphics Council International in part of the Graduate Fellowship Award. You Were There was on view in Gallery 7 at the University of Madison Wisconsin during the 50 year anniversary conference, Our Shared Future.