Abstract
Time after Time is a series of three hand-crafted artist’s books/scrolls, each measuring 42cm x 182cm; they set out to investigate ways in which visual autoethnography and social justice approaches to art can capture social narratives, and engage and activate audiences. The books/scrolls illustrate selected elements of the extraordinary social, political and environmental global events that occurred between 2016 and 2021, events that are bookended by the presidential elections in the United States of America. The books also include more personal narratives and corresponding macro, micro, and nano discoveries that situate our human concerns with a broader context of existence and offer a sense of scale, perspective and connection. As visual autoethnography, the artworks present subjective perspectives whilst simultaneously inviting audiences to reflect on collective experiences and add their own memories to the narratives; as social justice, the artworks encourage reflection and offer a space to think about the past, present and future in a manner that offers hope and encourages action. The artworks follow in the tradition of documentary scrolls and offer an alternative method of collecting and disseminating social and political stories. The first of the three books, 2016-17, is complete, with two more – 2018-19 and 2020-21 - underway. The books will be displayed in concertina format but will also be reproduced as scrolls (larger and smaller than the original), to allow the audience to interact in more or less intimate manner.
Presenters
Rachael BrownSenior Lecturer, School of Architecture, University of Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Literary Landscapes: Forms of Knowledge in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Artists' Books/ Scrolls, Visual Autoethnography, Illustration, Activism, Layered Narratives
