Emily Conklin
American, born, Eagle, Colorado, 2001
Life’s a Treat, 2024
Ceramic
This collection of ceramic sculptures is deeply connected to my childhood and the relationships I had with sweets. Objects in which we consume, such as food, are often ephemeral. The memories we associate with these objects live within our memories for a lifetime.
The way in which a memory is formed, is not exact to what actually happened. Imagination abstracts the memory. Certain details are forgotten and others are remembered meticulously. Our imaginations allow us to exaggerate or personify features based on their importance. I am interested in the relationship between memory and imagination. Where do they overlap?
In exploring that relationship I engage in self reflection and memory association. I recreate significant desserts from my childhood that relate to important people, places and events from my life.
Memories, however, will eventually be forgotten. Through sculpture I aim to give these impermanent objects a place to exist outside of the subconscious. What can the process of sculpture, embellishment, and vitrification lend to these temporary moments? Could it be just what they need to live forever?
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