On Tuesday 3rd of September, we took a trip to the V&A museum to look at the exhibition 'Memory Palace' - It was essentially an installation of a 'Walk-in book' with having the original author of the book Hari Kunzru work with over 20 artists- graphic designers, illustrators and typographers to create the final outcome of this work.
The main purpose of visiting the Memory Palace exhibition was to give us an insight on how memories are stored, in this instance it was the cell, acting as a storage unit for cherished memories. We interpreted the idea of a 'memory palace' in a way that can be easily made by using a time capsule containing special memories and aspirations.
The story is set in future London with the narrator of the story in a dark prison cell, alone. All technology and knowledge had been lost through a tragic magnetic storm that left the world shaken - nature had taken over the ruins of the city, claiming back which was once rightfully theirs. All power had been seized by a group who enforce a life of complete simplicity upon the public. Art, writing, recording, collecting and any form of self expression had been outlawed. The narrator was one of very few who had 'revived the ancient art of memory' where they tried to remember as much as they could from the past where it has been officially forbidden to do so in the future for generations. The prisoner (narrator) uses his prison cell as his 'Memory Palace' - the location for the things he has remembered and will store them there.
"He clings to his belief that without memory, civilisation is doomed"
MEMORY PALACE: a technique used to remember, a space in which to place memories.
I personally really enjoyed this exhibition. I found that the text from the book became more captivating when painted on the walls next to an installation of work. My favourite part of the exhibition was the passages of writing upon the walls next to each piece of work. It felt as though there was so much more behind to what the author was trying to say and it was left entirely to my own imagination - with prompts from the installation of work it was next to.
"The world is not made of facts. The world is not made of lists. It is made of Rock and Wood and Water."
"We are men. We were meant to be warriors. We were meant to live in this wild world."
"When they took me back to my cell. I lay on the floor, watching the jewels in my memory palace spin and turn, gorgeous and bright. For the first time I could see them- not just in my mind's eye, but in reality. I could actually see them. They were very beautiful."
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