July 2023
from here to there
Graduation project - BA Research 2023 Winner
From here to there addresses the experience of reinhabiting home, considering the processes of disorientation and (re)orientation it can ignite. It specifically sheds light on the experience of Brazilian women from the cities of Fortaleza and Salvador (Brazil) now residing in the Netherlands. The interest in this theme came from my own sensations of disorientation as I too extend over this space. Ambivalent feelings of wanting to belong, to forget, and to remember were perceived: a movement of feeling sometimes here, sometimes there.
research
The research methodology was based on photo elicitation, which is grounded on the understanding that images have the ability to prod latent memory, to stimulate and release emotional statements (Collier qtd. in Harper 14). But this was quickly transformed into rather, an object elicitation, as “we behold, touch, listen and measure the world with our entire bodily existence” (Pallasmaa 69). To use solely images would be to ignore the embodied multisensory experience that is to be (in) space.Like this, objects, scents and flavors served as prompts during the interview moments.
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The interviews were broken down into fragments. These fragments were arranged and rearranged by me, as I felt and played with their connections. They orientated my writing and my reflection about how I position myself within these experiences. The groups of fragments became the chapters of my thesis and were later represented in the installation.
design process
And to sleep in a hammock... Even now when I go to Fortaleza, in my room, it is there. My mother says: "here it is, my daughter, your hammock".
Brainstorming sketch
The hammock has a strong presence in the Brazilian-northeastern domestic environment. It is often used as a bed replacement. In Portuguese, a hammock is a rede, which can also be translated as a net, or web. This work became a net of memories: fragments of (past) homes; small sources of orientation here.
INSTALLATION
background fabric
net with fabrics
frame
hammock
hammock base
supporting elements
2000 mm
100 mm
100 mm
2000 mm
TOP VIEW
CROSS SECTION
A material selection for the installation was developed. This included raw wood, metal and bold colors. This choice was done by observing the characteristics of the objects used the interview process.
Final design
The strings attached to the hooks create a net in which the memories are represented. A color organization was thought of. This is of course not very strict, as a memory can be related to both a ritual and food, for example. This was a form to organize the net and create a colorful structure that could be inviting.On this net, the memories are represented either by objects, illustrations, or words.
Fragments of the interviews are screen printed on the hammock fabric, creating a pattern. The memories are related to the objects/illustrations/words on the net above. The colors follow the same system. So, green: spaces; blue: rituals; orange: people; red: food; yellow: people. Black is not necessarily related to memories but to the experience of leaving home in general.
