Somehow, memories stand as ‘fragments” of time lived, pointing towards the possibility of experimenting further with this methodology in the recording and translation of these. A core reference at this point is Stella Sandford – the dream is a fragment as this idea of fragments, reconstructed impressions, becomes parallel to the exploration of oral history in the context of dematerialisation. I see Graphic communication design as a tool for making oral history approachable and relatable beyond traditional archival contexts.
Archives in themselves, are full of gaps and fragmentation. With my practice, I wish to reimagine the meaning and use of archiving as a tool for engaging in contemporary dialogues, in this particular case through engaging in narratives around social eating.
Using a fragmented approach to editorial design could be interesting. Fragments of interviews, fragments of recipes, fragments of books in disuse. All the fragments put together make a whole picture, somehow reminiscent our society and the fact we all inhabit this reality as part of something bigger.
For the third round of interviews, inspired by Marinetti’s Futurist Cookbook, I decided to take a more fragmented approach to collecting memories, by tapping into alternative ways of recollecting and engaging with anecdotes around social eating. I tried to keep it more lighthearted and exploratory and this really made a mark in the sort of relationship I established with the participants and the way in which they were able to share. By thinking of “publishing” their memories, something personal and perhaps ephemeral, the participants engaged in a larger conversation around being human and understanding others through commensality.
“Translation seen as the act of giving form to something that has not been articulated.”
By removing both notions of traditional drawing and audio recording, I tapped into new territories by asking the participants to engage with prompts that require lateral thinking. By asking the participants question such as:” Pick a colour pencil to represent each one of the ingredients in your recipe. Now mix them on paper.”, the absurdity of the prompt generates all sort of interesting visual outcomes.
Thinking through workbooks
These small booklets have become an outlet for quick experimentation and archiving my thoughts and reflections throughout the unit so far. The format itself allows me to add and remove content as needed, which becomes a flexible material exploration of my project.
Reflections
Reflecting on the process I’ve been through so far. I think there’s a strong link between words and images expressed in the interaction between photography and typography. I think this is something I want to pursue through my studio practice further, in connection to editorial design and gestalt principles, in order to uncover these ideas around recording memories of social eating.
For the next and final round of interviews I will be focusing on memories of social eating in connection to diverse cultures around the world. I want to explore if this angle can give me more insight into the subject, as some of the interviews already conducted started to tap into this realm. I will be conditioning the process even further by focusing on the exploration of memory through typography and photography.