The project centers in the interaction between traditional printmaking and narrative, which I use to explore memory, identity and nature. You Set the Scene explores the conceptual and symbolic understanding of home: a place where memories of my social and domestic life alter and transform in time; where I develop a sense of belonging, grow and construct my identity: I seek to create a unique storytelling approach.
I work with the idea of containers of time and memories, experimenting with reduction woodcut and collage to develop different ways to display stories within the containers. Since I am working with the concept of Home, I decided to engage with its material representation: a House. I have established the house as the physical place where my memories can inhabit, where images evolve and interact with each other. My houses consist of a series of reduction woodcuts. In them, elements such as walls, windows, rooftops and chimneys are cut, folded and arranged into three-dimensional paper houses, or graphic objects. Narrative complements my project: Investigating memory and identity has brought me to write my childhood stories, which have become fundamental for the project. The stories serve as a type of script that allows me to develop visual motifs and characters as performing actors inside the houses.
The work becomes a graphic installation that turns the Gallery Space into a scene reminiscent of theatrical settings. I wrote 30 stories in total, 30 different houses. The houses float, arranged around the space at different heights, and are illuminated from the inside. The unique glow each holds further interact with a series of animations projected onto the wall: dog shadows running around, symbolic figures that tie much of the stories together. The experience is completed by soundscapes consisting of musical compositions (Arranged by music composer Arturo Morfín). The installation is an immersive experience that allows the viewers to walk around the houses, and be an active character within the whole set.