Memory Palace

The Memory palace is an exhibition that is being held at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum - and on Wednesday we went to visit this exhibition in order to collect research on the artwork/ideas behind the topic Memory. The exhibition has been created by the fiction author Hazi Kunzru. The story tells of a man in future London many years after the records and world history have been destroyed and so civilization returns back to the dark ages. "Recording, writing, collecting and art is outlawed" The protagonist is accused of belonging to a cult that are trying to recover the 'art of memory.' The man is in prison and is telling his story to you visually whilst you walk through the exhibition. The artwork was created by 20 different illustrators, graphic designers and typographers.

I really enjoyed this exhibition so much because it had this story and dialog throughout which really added well to the overall concept (more personal, the way memories are to individuals) – it also made the exhibition more unique. When walking into the exhibition we were not allowed to photograph or draw! I’ve come to conclusion that this may be because it ties in better with the theme of memory – as an audience we should remember, but open our eyes fully to the work.

Throughout the exhibition a muddled up interpretation of the 'past' is being projected. Furthermore the narrator is throwing out many ideas and concerns that apply to todays society such as: "my eyes are open, I look around, yes there's something larger than me," which could suggest society needs to look further than materialistic objects and technology.



Exhibition map

There were different types of art pieces from old diagrams, large structures and multimedia. When you viewed all together it forms a journey - below is the map and layout of these artworks. my favourite piece was the storyboard by Luke Pearson that showed a conversation - the layout and actual content was very personal to the narrator as though he was recalling from his memory - for instance when he was finally given water it was a large wave of water over him

But the best part of the entire exhibition was the last area which is hidden around a corner so you can only see it as you walk around - we find out at this time that the man is going to die and a lady tells him "you will be forgotten unless you download [a memory]" I think that this is so powerful. Memories are so important to who we are. Because when we die - who cares if no one remembers our face or how tall or short we are, don't we want to remembered by who we are and what we did. Our power to collect memories is what makes us human.

 

Here is are some quotes that stood out to me:

'mnemothechnics' --> "Ancient Greeks create an elaborate memory system based on a technique of impressing 'places' and 'images' on the mind.

 

"Here is how to remember. First you must choose a place. You get to know this place as well as you can. You walk around it, impressing every detail on your memory, until you can tour it in your mind. When you are not there. Then you place the things you need to remember around the building, in the form of pictures. These pictures must be startling enough to trigger your imagination. In this way, when you need to recall something you merely go in your imagination to the spot where you stored it."

 

"Its hard to be individual, to be conscious and alive inside the prison walls of your skull."

 

"I understood why the Thing feared it so much"

 

"such a small room could not serve the purpose, but I gave each spot a meaning, and as I populated it with the things I have been given to remember, the cell began to grow. It was a like pushing the walls outwards with my hands"

 

"Ideas don't quench your thirst. You may think they give you power, but that's not true."

 

"How can an idea have power over matter? They are completely different in kind?"

 

"We are men. we were meant to be warriors. We were meant to live in a wild world."

 

"all past is fiction"

 

"You will be forgotten unless you download"

No author (2013) Sky Arts Ignition: Memory Palace - About the Exhibition [online]

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-sky-arts-ignition-memory-palace/about-the-exhibition/