Artist Statement
This series contains a variety of artworks that center around the subject of children, and disasters or tragedies. The progression of the works goes from looking at disasters that affected the world as a whole, to tragedies in the province of British Columbia, and lastly to the specific city of Kelowna. The purpose of these artworks is to raise awareness of the physical affects of tragedies and disasters on children, as well as to heighten people’s consciousness about public memorials.
Memorials are ways for the loved ones of the deceased to remind the public not to forget the individuals who died. Both “Don’t forget me” and “Tombstones” fall under this hope that the deceased will not be forgotten. “Tombstones” are literally public memorials, they are roadside crosses that are displayed around Kelowna and surrounding areas. Driving around town, I see these crosses frequently but I never take the time to acknowledge that a life was taken in that specific area. They have become a part of the surrounding cityscape, and therefore are regularly overlooked.
The obituaries that make up “Don’t forget me” were created from the death certificates of children found in the Royal BC Museum archives. They were created in a typological manner to mimic newspaper obituaries, which are another form of a public memorial. Having the names of the deceased children blocked out enhances the issue of not wanting to forget them, as well as exacerbates the fact that the general population has forgotten their name. They become ‘that kid that died when...’. Occasionally I read an article in the paper, or hear a story, about how a child died a tragic way and I think, “How sad!”. I think about that death for a minute or a day, sometimes every once in a while for a month, but essentially that child gets forgotten. They will forevermore be another obituary in the newspaper, another number on the advance search in the Royal BC Museum archives.
Children are forgotten frequently, whether it is their death or their physical presences, they get neglected. “What about the children?” talks about this issue. The use of silhouettes portrays the general population of children in contrast with the coloured images of their potential reality. By having the kids playing while the disasters are happening emphasizes that they could be imagining this scenario or that they might not be fully aware of the disaster that is taking place. I hope to convey a sense of discomfort in the viewer by having children portrayed with images of disasters, and coerce them to think about where children are during disasters and also challenge the viewer to not forget about them.
This series contains a variety of artworks that center around the subject of children, and disasters or tragedies. The progression of the works goes from looking at disasters that affected the world as a whole, to tragedies in the province of British Columbia, and lastly to the specific city of Kelowna. The purpose of these artworks is to raise awareness of the physical affects of tragedies and disasters on children, as well as to heighten people’s consciousness about public memorials.
Memorials are ways for the loved ones of the deceased to remind the public not to forget the individuals who died. Both “Don’t forget me” and “Tombstones” fall under this hope that the deceased will not be forgotten. “Tombstones” are literally public memorials, they are roadside crosses that are displayed around Kelowna and surrounding areas. Driving around town, I see these crosses frequently but I never take the time to acknowledge that a life was taken in that specific area. They have become a part of the surrounding cityscape, and therefore are regularly overlooked.
The obituaries that make up “Don’t forget me” were created from the death certificates of children found in the Royal BC Museum archives. They were created in a typological manner to mimic newspaper obituaries, which are another form of a public memorial. Having the names of the deceased children blocked out enhances the issue of not wanting to forget them, as well as exacerbates the fact that the general population has forgotten their name. They become ‘that kid that died when...’. Occasionally I read an article in the paper, or hear a story, about how a child died a tragic way and I think, “How sad!”. I think about that death for a minute or a day, sometimes every once in a while for a month, but essentially that child gets forgotten. They will forevermore be another obituary in the newspaper, another number on the advance search in the Royal BC Museum archives.
Children are forgotten frequently, whether it is their death or their physical presences, they get neglected. “What about the children?” talks about this issue. The use of silhouettes portrays the general population of children in contrast with the coloured images of their potential reality. By having the kids playing while the disasters are happening emphasizes that they could be imagining this scenario or that they might not be fully aware of the disaster that is taking place. I hope to convey a sense of discomfort in the viewer by having children portrayed with images of disasters, and coerce them to think about where children are during disasters and also challenge the viewer to not forget about them.