Identity, Memory and Narrative
On first inspection of this project: ‘Making and Breaking Narrative’, my immediate thought process was to break down the definition of ‘narrative’, and thus explore ways in which a narrative could be broken or fragmentised. To me, a narrative is ultimately a personal interpretation of an event or experience, which has the potential to be shaped based by the individual telling the narrative. It is therefore, a malleable concept of recounting of memories or events. From this, I began to brainstorm the concepts of memory, individualism and personal narrative, and how these ideas could be reshaped to produce warped or skewed versions of these individual narratives. I have always found myself intrigued by collections of diary entries or personal memoirs of significant events, for example wartime memoirs. I am fascinated by the way histories and historical narratives can ultimately be altered through perspective, and how varieties in personal narratives have the power to alter views on historical events.
Therefore, in response to the project prompt, I began to explore the initial theme of identity and memory, and how certain artists portray ambiguity in portraiture, in order to conceal or warp aspects of an individual’s identity and thus affect their personal narratives.
