Would you believe it if someone told you your memories could be preserved as works of art?
Well, this is exactly what Delhi-based visual artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra have done. Their project, aptly called ‘Memoir Bar’, had guests depositing their ‘memories’ as currency (they believe emotions and nostalgia are common currency for people), which were then processed into artistic floor tiles.
Thukral and Tagra have always believed in working with unconventional media and ‘The Memoir Bar’ was yet another addition to their creative repertoire. This prize-winning duo have collaborated on a variety of projects, from installation to sculpture, painting to graphic design, but regardless of the medium, their aesthetic is always playful yet thought-provoking, addressing universal themes of identity and change.
So in a bid to give memories a tangible form, but in their own idiosyncratic and artistic way, the designers came up with the idea of a performative project, encouraging people to ‘unload’ or explore their own emotions associated with memories.
Participants were given a ‘memory card’, a paper that had six emotions and colours allegorical to those emotions (white for love, and blue for sadness, for example), and were required to write down their memories on the paper and select colours they thought were best associated with their recollections. The paper was then shredded in a pasta maker and set in a tile mould.
The result? Customised hexagonal tiles that were made with the pieces of shredded paper memories, the cement reflecting the colours chosen by the participants; and a beautiful, kaleidoscopic collection of emotions.
The project is slated to be a part of the Dubai Design Week coming up in October 2016 as ‘The Emotional Pavilion’.
You can follow Thukral & Tagra on Facebook for updates on artwork and exhibitions.
Featured image source: Scroll.in
Words by Pavi Sagar
