Emily Miller
Artist Statement
Fuelled by demonstrating the importance of photographs and the memories associated with these images, I am interested in preserving the past memories and keeping them for the future. By using mainly lens based media and audio I am excited by the themes of nostalgia, family, memories and most importantly I have found myself leading towards the themes of truth or illusion. I have been doing this by creating fiction stories some based on true events and adding the audio to a piece of work. By doing this, it allows the audience to interact with the work, due to the work being open the audience can decide and interpret as they wish without knowing the exact truth.
I find by collecting and sorting important documents, photographs and sentimental objects provoke the making process. Most of the time, I find reproducing or copying an image or objects elevates the object and no two are the same. The copied version now has new memories but segments from the original version. Perhaps giving the photograph or object a new life and a voice of its own.
Free machine embroidery has a profound influence on my practice and especially when focusing on family history and relationships. In some ways the stitch can be seen as a way of joining all the family members together and the memories which are associated with the photographs. Similar to a disorientated family tree, see my piece “Nostalgia” for an example of how the stitch connects and webs everything together.
The artists, Joseph Cornell, Christian Boltanski, Hollis Frampton and finally Douglas Gordon. These four artists fuel my practice especially when my research territory focuses on the archive and memory. Recently discovering the book, “The Archival Impulse, Hal Foster” has enabled me to find new, interesting artists who focus on the same concept and theme which I do.