Ira Tecson
Ira Velasco Tecson
"Suffused in Dream"
July 11th- August 4th, 2009
"Suffused in Dream"
July 11th- August 4th, 2009
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Artist Statement
When I came to the United States from the Philippines I was about four years old, and as it turns out we left behind all of the pictures we had. I think that because of this, I process memories in terms of feelings triggered by objects, as opposed to feelings triggered by pictures. From photographs others see themselves as children, identify the person in the photo as “me” and then recall specifics, maybe other events of that day. My way of processing memories helps explain why I rely on the materials I choose for my sculptures to convey a particular nostalgia when paired with a commonplace image. I often think that my investigation of childhood and use of plush material has something to do with a longing for visual references of my upbringing for my own remembrance. Ultimately, I have come to learn that it is the physicality of an object—not just the image—that is important.
In retrospect I have realized that these pieces reflect how I processed memories as a child. These charged objects are imbued with memories I have from the time I made them. Each form brings about a certain feeling and recollection of particular events and the people present in that phase of my life. I lump the concept of dreaming in the same category because of how my memories function within my dreams. The Latin word somnio (to dream, or imagine foolishly) embodies my own thoughts about my personality and helps make clear the materialization and concept of my sculptural forms. In dreams, my mind reflects on insignificant objects, songs, moods and the like which I experience on a day to day basis. In that dream state these recollections of the day are mixed up with reminiscences, and a composite narrative is generated. This process is not unlike how I create.
In this installation I tried to convey how experiences work. Ideally, the viewer will see the gallery room as a mental space with the objects each indicating a memory or a dream. In an attempt to communicate ephemeral and ethereal processes, the filaments are a representation of how I visualize my mind working with stimuli, funneling this information into my mind much like the way our brains function with axons and dendrites.
Artist Statement
When I came to the United States from the Philippines I was about four years old, and as it turns out we left behind all of the pictures we had. I think that because of this, I process memories in terms of feelings triggered by objects, as opposed to feelings triggered by pictures. From photographs others see themselves as children, identify the person in the photo as “me” and then recall specifics, maybe other events of that day. My way of processing memories helps explain why I rely on the materials I choose for my sculptures to convey a particular nostalgia when paired with a commonplace image. I often think that my investigation of childhood and use of plush material has something to do with a longing for visual references of my upbringing for my own remembrance. Ultimately, I have come to learn that it is the physicality of an object—not just the image—that is important.
In retrospect I have realized that these pieces reflect how I processed memories as a child. These charged objects are imbued with memories I have from the time I made them. Each form brings about a certain feeling and recollection of particular events and the people present in that phase of my life. I lump the concept of dreaming in the same category because of how my memories function within my dreams. The Latin word somnio (to dream, or imagine foolishly) embodies my own thoughts about my personality and helps make clear the materialization and concept of my sculptural forms. In dreams, my mind reflects on insignificant objects, songs, moods and the like which I experience on a day to day basis. In that dream state these recollections of the day are mixed up with reminiscences, and a composite narrative is generated. This process is not unlike how I create.
In this installation I tried to convey how experiences work. Ideally, the viewer will see the gallery room as a mental space with the objects each indicating a memory or a dream. In an attempt to communicate ephemeral and ethereal processes, the filaments are a representation of how I visualize my mind working with stimuli, funneling this information into my mind much like the way our brains function with axons and dendrites.
