(Re)Transmission of Memory

(re)transmission of memory

(project work in progress)

In Paris I live close to the Père Lachaise cemetery. A very good friend of mine, who died couple of years ago, is buried there. During my visit I cut a wild plant growing on the side of his grave, took it home and planted in a pot, a way for me to keep his presence with me. In a way, this process is one of metaphorical memory transmission: a body giving birth to a plant, that is transferred from a place of death to a place of life.
I later developed this idea through a conversation with friend of mine, Germano Cecere, who is head of a research team in genetics at famous scientific and medical research institute ‘Institut Pasteur’, in Paris. He studies mechanisms of epigenetics and inheritance. He explained to me that they were currently testing the hypothesis that chromosomic/genetic modifications taking place during our lives could be passed on to future generations: genes have a memory that can propagate to new individuals. I found this idea absolutely fascinating, and decided to make my own personal obsession with memory and his scientific research work together artistically. The title of the project is (Re)transmission of memory (working title), and intends to reflect on the omnipresence of the past in our present, and the relation with identity through excavation of memories.