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Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking

Visual and linguistic metaphors help to conceptualise memory by reducing its physiological and philosophical complexities to a degree that allows its processes to be easily understood. Two commonly used metaphors are ‘memory as an imprint' and ‘memory as a photograph'. However, these metaphors ignor...

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Main Author: Hambsch, Oliver
Other Authors: Inggs, Stephen
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Michaelis School of Fine Art 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author Hambsch, Oliver
author2 Inggs, Stephen
author_browse Hambsch, Oliver
Inggs, Stephen
author_facet Inggs, Stephen
Hambsch, Oliver
author_sort Hambsch, Oliver
collection Thesis
description Visual and linguistic metaphors help to conceptualise memory by reducing its physiological and philosophical complexities to a degree that allows its processes to be easily understood. Two commonly used metaphors are ‘memory as an imprint' and ‘memory as a photograph'. However, these metaphors ignore vital aspects of memory, such as its fluidity, the interplay between remembering and forgetting, and the role of imagination. They can thus be considered misleading and problematic. Of particular interest is the ‘memory-as-imprint' analogy and how engagement with the visual language of printmaking can modify it to create a more comprehensive depiction that accounts for the physiological processes of individual memory and the retention and transmission of collective, familial memory. Through my practical work, I seek to address these concerns through both traditional and experimental printmaking techniques, which I reflect on and analyse through the theoretical framework of printmaking. I use photographs sourced from my family archive as references, focusing in particular on those from the German post-war period, and remediate them into various print mediums, each addressing particular facets of memory that I consider important. My work is intended to serve as a reflection on what memory is and how it is experienced, the theoretical aspects of printmaking and my own relationship with my family memory. I argue that through a conceptual engagement with printmaking, print can be used as a metaphorical device that extends beyond the simple ‘memory-as-imprint' analogy.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:39:13.887Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher Michaelis School of Fine Art
publisherStr Michaelis School of Fine Art
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37290 Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking Hambsch, Oliver Inggs, Stephen Siopis, Penny Fine Art Visual and linguistic metaphors help to conceptualise memory by reducing its physiological and philosophical complexities to a degree that allows its processes to be easily understood. Two commonly used metaphors are ‘memory as an imprint' and ‘memory as a photograph'. However, these metaphors ignore vital aspects of memory, such as its fluidity, the interplay between remembering and forgetting, and the role of imagination. They can thus be considered misleading and problematic. Of particular interest is the ‘memory-as-imprint' analogy and how engagement with the visual language of printmaking can modify it to create a more comprehensive depiction that accounts for the physiological processes of individual memory and the retention and transmission of collective, familial memory. Through my practical work, I seek to address these concerns through both traditional and experimental printmaking techniques, which I reflect on and analyse through the theoretical framework of printmaking. I use photographs sourced from my family archive as references, focusing in particular on those from the German post-war period, and remediate them into various print mediums, each addressing particular facets of memory that I consider important. My work is intended to serve as a reflection on what memory is and how it is experienced, the theoretical aspects of printmaking and my own relationship with my family memory. I argue that through a conceptual engagement with printmaking, print can be used as a metaphorical device that extends beyond the simple ‘memory-as-imprint' analogy. 2023-03-07T08:05:28Z 2023-03-07T08:05:28Z 2022 2023-02-20T12:53:08Z Master Thesis Masters MFA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37290 eng application/pdf Michaelis School of Fine Art Faculty of Humanities
spellingShingle Fine Art
Hambsch, Oliver
Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
title_full Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
title_fullStr Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
title_full_unstemmed Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
title_short Absent Presence: an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
title_sort absent presence an exploration of memory and family through printmaking
topic Fine Art
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37290
work_keys_str_mv AT hambscholiver absentpresenceanexplorationofmemoryandfamilythroughprintmaking