Monday, January 19, 2009

Coming Clean

This project began with the memory of a neglected bathtub that sat at the top of the stairs in my childhood home for about eight years. It was waiting there to be placed in the remodeled bathroom that never came to be. I began to put the pieces together of how the brand new bathtub, still in its box, represented the theme of unfinished business in my family history.
The tub represents me overcoming experiences. The tiles reflect my family history and the meaningful people in my life: both sides of my grandparents, my divorced parents, and my sister. Not only do the tiles reflect these unresolved relationships, but they also symbolize the incomplete rooms and spaces that were constants in my life.
In many ways this image has become that of an intangible object, which represents how we can re-create memories by learning and changing from them. This is not just about the theme of unfinished family business, it’s about me finishing something and giving the viewer the opportunity to view my past, which is beginning to feel finally resolved.