“The Child Was Present” is an attempt to connect with a lost memory and create new ones through the fabrication of a forgotten image.

Performed by members of the audience, this construction was made using an image from a ten plus year old roll of film. The image was enlarged and dissected between multiple pieces of paper before the performance took place. The pieces of paper were also numbered to keep them in order. During the installation, members of the audience oriented the pieces correctly and taped them to a large glass window as the artist watched from outside. Once complete, they came out to join me.

Through the performance, it is made possible to connect with a memory in a new way. It was a moment that had been completely forgotten and erased from the past. The photo is the only thing that proves this instant ever happened. The help of the audience, in a way, serves as a disembodied memory. This disconnection allows for a deeper, more genuine feeling toward the image because of the negation of nostalgia. It’s as if you’re peering into the life of another, perhaps similar to the feeling of flipping through old photos of loved ones that you’ve never seen before. The action of the audience informs new memories. It attaches sentiment to these pieces of paper, in their minds and that of the artist. The substance of the image is no longer the most affecting part. Memories become intertwined and begin to inform one another outside and inside the action of the performance.