Ann Hamilton and Kathryn Clark Palimpsest

 

Ann Hamilton and Kathryn Clark palimpsest exhibition images and texts here and here

Ann Hamilton and Kathryn Clark’s palimpsest, an installation in two parts, was a thoughtful meditation on the seemingly random way in which memories are processed and eventually lost. palimpsest was a special part of the larger exhibition “Strange Attractors: Signs of Chaos." Part of palimpsest took place in a room connected to the main "Strange Attractors: Signs of Chaos” exhibition space, while another part was installed at the Window on Broadway. Inspired by the story of an elderly man who, to combat his failing memory, put note card reminders on the walls of his home, the artist pinned hundreds of small sheets of yellowed paper to the walls of a room within the exhibition. These unidentified fragments of memories, thoughts and bits of conversation fluttered in the breeze generated by and antique fan. A large glass vitrine, containing two heads of cabbage being systematically devoured by countless snails, made poignant reference to the physical deterioration of the brain’s capacity.