December 2003 / Impressions

Impressions

An installation by Phil Roach

December 6 – 28, 2003
Reception / Friday December 5, 7 – 10pm

One night while watching a movie at a friend's house, I got up out of the leather easy chair that I had occupied for the last hour. Turning around I noticed something that we've all seen many times before, but for some reason I found myself fascinated.

When we sit or lie in the furniture we live with, our bodies leave a temporary impression, a negative image of ourselves. Due to the elasticity of the materials that the furniture is made of, the image fades and returns to its original form. However, over time and extensive use, these impressions begin to remain, becoming a permanent part of the object. This is considered a type of physical memory.

While pondering this, I thought about what if the things that we live with every day retained more than just the physical memory of our bodies? What if they retained our memories, experiences, thoughts or dreams?

With the use of miniatures, hand made and found objects, LCD screens and simple lighting techniques, I have embedded images into the furniture and walls of the Nest space which are viewable through small fish-eye lenses. The room I have created is loosely based on a culmination of places I have experienced, lived in, dreamed of or thought about. By immersing the viewing audience into an environment where touch, smell, curiosity, voyeurism and implied narrative are essential elements I hope to translate my vision into something that everyone can experience on an intimate and somewhat personal level.