Sacred Machine
Sacred Machine is a creative exploration of paint and drawing that engages with the nostalgia of childhood memories, specifically how old Formula 1 broadcasts create a mnemonic bridge between my past and present self. When recalling a memory, particularly one formed as a young child, the environment and time it was created in heavily influences the remembered version and its nostalgic qualities. I examine the material qualities of paint and drawing as a tool for manipulating the aesthetics of distorted, fragmented media when processing meaning as an adult. Sourcing Formula 1 footage from early 2000s forums and websites, I employ cropping and solvent transfer to morph these snapshots of race cars into abstract, childlike renders which become the reference for my paintings. Taking nostalgia as a point of departure, this work may prompt questions on what determines our ‘favourite’ memories through a unique approach to paint, drawing and surface quality. Why are certain memories held at higher importance than others from childhood? Investigating the relationship between my past and present self through abstracted subject matter, I probe the potential of edge quality, colour and shape when portraying temporal memories through paint and drawing.