she/ her
My work explores the act of preserving memories, and how certain aspects of memories are regarded as more important than others. Through painting in oils atop of cyanotype, I capture the ‘punctum’ of a photo taken from my childhood. The punctum is a term coined by Roland Barthes in his 1980 book Camera Lucida, Reflections on photography. It is a term used to describe the focal point of a photograph, the emotional draw that catches your attention. In the case of my practice, I use the punctum chosen by my parents to explore the story behind the photo, and furthermore the reason that the photo was taken. The painted punctums represent my mum and dad’s individual reasons for taking the photo/ what they remember most about the event. In displaying these in a series of three diptychs, I look at how each of my parents assign value to different aspects of the same memory/event. For example, the aspect of the photo my mum feels connected to is often different to my dad’s, and vice versa. From this, I question how the emotional connection of a shared memory between two people can differ, despite the proceedings of the event being the same.
In the degree show, my pieces are displayed as a mirrored series. I have mounted the pieces several inches from the walls to achieve a floating effect that emulates the ephemeral feel of a distant memory. To frame the pieces would ground them, and I would lose the lightweight free quality of the brushstrokes and the subtle transition between paper and wall. I chose to have my pieces stretch out from a corner space as when experimenting with curation, it was the best layout to be able to see all the pieces at once, while also being able to see the diptych pairs, as well as having the opportunity to view each piece individually.
My choice to display the original photos was to show how insignificant a punctum may seem. What my parents picked out might not be the obvious choice to alternative viewers. From these, I encourage viewers to question how they would assign value to my images, and furthermore their own images. The pieces, interrupted by folds, are reminiscent of a well loved photograph that’s been looked over time and time again, smoothed out and folded over and over as the memory is re-lived. I felt the folding process was necessary as to display pristine, untouched images did not lend authentically to the idea of the presented memory being recurrently thought over. Just because the memory is precious doesn’t mean it has to be pristine – it can be rough around the edges and messy, just like childhood.
I’ve reached a stage in my life where I am accepting that my childhood years are truly behind me. In a way, this exhibition feels like a final goodbye to my younger self. It feels fitting to commemorate these years, if not for my own sake, then for my parents, who felt the urge to photograph these moments.
The base for my pieces are sourced from my parents’ photo albums of my childhood years. I invert the images and print them on acetate to act as the stencil for my cyanotype. The cyanotype print process is created by coating paper in equal amounts of two chemicals, and exposing it to UV light beneath the acetate stencil. Once rinsed in water, the chemical develops into a blue photo-realistic print of the original image. Once dry, I paint on top of the cyanotype in oil paints. Painting is my passion in art, and through my journey in university I have found ways to develop my love for painting in ways that wouldn’t be possible without the facilities at Loughborough. I use oil paint to bring the punctums of the piece to life as I find the act of painting intimate and precious, and that to paint life back into the memory was a fitting act of preservation that also reflected the preciousness of the moment.
Below is a larger selection of my work that I have created in my time at university, as well as personal commission. Outside of university I specialise in oil paintings, but I do hope to continue developing my passion for cyanotype.
Thank you for looking at my work. If you’re interested in commissions, it is best to contact me through email Jessicaesoanes17@gmail.com or my number 07852689636 🙂
