Stuart Porter

Fragments of recollection touching on cultural and historical themes, captured through installation, image and sculpture. Open-ended questions or an observation of absurd complexity. All these qualities instigate a reaction which invokes a recollection, conjuring up a conundrum of answers.

An encounter will ask as much as it informs. A familiar shape, sound or experience expressed in an unmonumental form, each unique, yet sharing an underlying investigation of interpretation open to the observer.

By recalling the memories attached to a family record player of the 70s, a used chipboard copy of estimated proportions was constructed. The counterfeit, resplendent now in its raw state, an illusion of realism triggered by nostalgia converted what was before me into the original. This confusion of status had the effect of questioning its previous standing as a cultural artifact. Stripped of its false veneer, promoted by recollection beyond its standing, its truth of construction and integrity question the ‘tag’ associated with a high-fidelity society of the 70s.

This discovery of deception has opened a rich vein of enquiry to explore how viewing a relic can influence recollection which distorts our perception of nostalgia. How do we view what we see before us? Do the strengths of recall and association rely on the accuracy of what is perceived to be true or do we accept and welcome deceptions to fill in the missing gaps?