Publication Date
Spring 5-10-2026
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
Watkins College of Art
Department
Art, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Amanda Rogers Horton
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
The house if our first universe, a space where memory and contextual experience are formed. Within that house are rooms and within the rooms or specifically a room, a singular experience is born. The memory of a childhood bedroom is hazy and even discombobulated. Each crevice holds markings of what once was thus changing our perception of the physical space. It is with the current bias and the present mindset where this space is directly transformed. In this piece, memory and the physical space of a room are intertwined. The memory of experience and physicality translated into sculptural form through the unfolding of three cubes. Each cube reflects the memory of a life stage spent in the same place. The ceiling, baseboards, light fixture, and carpet hinting at the presence of a room, but now collaged to display the state of mind rather than a reflection of the actual space. Though this piece is derived from an intimate personal experience, the use of materials and display urge it to take on an assorted meaning. It is not nostalgia, but rather a distorted recollection of memory and space.
The Unfolding of Memory challenges viewers to reimagine what a room is while reflecting upon how memory affects our perception of the known to unknown.
Recommended Citation
Downs, Ali N., "The Unfolding of Memory" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 785.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/785
