Transference
"The hypomnesia of dreams and their command of childhood material have become the two pillars on which our theory rests; our theory of dreams has ascribed to wishes deriving from childhood the part of indispensable moving- force in the formation of dreams"
Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of Dream
Transference showcases the metaphoric ability photography has when documenting memory, and our own perceptions of the past. Like our memories become colored over time with experience and age, photography as a medium offers up a multitude of tonal changes and complexity; from using different equipment, cameras, printing processes, or alternative technology.
Composing the memory of my childhood bedroom, and the place where nightmares take root, Transference documents the process of how such malicious dreams can take hold of concrete aspects of reality and distort them; leaving an unshakable and uniquely perceived memento in the form of memory. This process of the formation of dreams, and how they impact our childhood and future is what the project aims to bring into conversation.
Each decision when producing the project adds additional layers of complexity. Tranferenceinvolved the use of five cameras from varying production & technological eras, film stock ranging from 8mm to full frame, and up to four types of film stock some of which were expired and aged. Each image was developed by hand using my own mixed chemicals, on different mediums, textures, and scale.
Mirroring the subject matter, this intentionally complex procedure was necessary to match and depict the difficult to perceive conscious mind, accessing memories ruined by a tension filled and confused mental state. This environment, the memory of my childhood room has not been visited physically in over eighteen years. Only through memory, have I ventured into that realm of the past rife with sorrow, happiness, serenity, and fear.