1. voici est
ma vie
C A R L Y F O X

2. A G E N D A
a. thesis
b. work & process
-photographic overlays
-projection & lightbox
-audio
c. context
d. plans
e. questions

3. a.thesis

4. multimedia installation
with a nonlinear narrative
about my mother

5. 1. how objective can I be?
2. are memories haunting or comforting?
what about objects?
3. is detachment or attachment a
better coping mechanism for loss?
4. is forming an archive a way to make
sense of loss/memorialize someone?
C E N T R A L Q U E S T I O N S

6. curating, cataloguing, manipulating
precious yet ephemeral family history

7. b.work & process

9. process: organizing mom’s things on wall in my studio

10. overlays of my mother’s paintings with cancer
cells, many specific to her type of cancer,
found within the university’s databases

11. photos of my mother and I
in middle school/early HS
digital overlay of 2 previous images

12. mom’s painting overlay of mom, me & her painting

13. double exposure of photo I took
of my mother & her wedding photo
taken ~30 years earlier
superimposition of mom with
grandma, and pattern from
my mom’s skirt

14. overlay of my grandmother
with photo of my mom
& my childhood self

15. young mom & middle-aged
grandma with mom’s jewelry
young mom & young
grandma with mom’s gloves

16. double exposure of mom &
grandma with house I grew up in
overlay of young mom & me
with house mom grew up in

17. process: prints on transparency film

18. photo of my mom I took
in our old house, inspiring
exploration with lighting

19. projection
using overhead projector
and transparency film

25. lightbox
using layers of 11x17” digital prints
on vellum and transparency film

30. sketches of what I want the final installation to look like

31. photos of my mom
I took in my old room
inspiration for
final installation

32. audio
overlapping mother’s, grandmother’s, and
my own voices intersecting time and place
to create a narrative, showing nonlinear
nature of grief and memory

33. c. context

35. La Traverse de la Vie, 2015,
32 printed veils, 12 light bulbs,
electric wire, 70 9/10 × 90 3/5 in
CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI

36. The Reserve of Dead Swiss, 1990
photographs, electric lamps, fabric,
and wood, 2834 x 4725 x 270 mm
CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI

37. Family Tradition, 2008
Acrylic on Injet, 20 x 20 in.
SARAH ANNE JOHNSON

38. Left Behind, 2013
Photographs, archival images
JENNIFER LOEBER

39. Radiant Human Series, 2015
Polaroid photography
CHRISTINA LONSDALE

40. d. plans

41. NOW: experiment with material, make overlays, compile
mother’s photos & objects
LATE DECEMBER: document & visit place where mom
grew up, discontinue collecting objects
JANUARY: develop audio & visual pieces to integrate
into installation & decide which pieces to show
FEBRUARY: design catalog for show, get extra materials
MARCH: finish written thesis, finalize & print for show

42. thank you

43. 1. does it make more sense to overwhelm
or comfort the viewer in the final exhibit?
2. should I cut down my aspirations for the
final exhibit (choose between projection,
prints on lightboxes, audio, and my
mother’s physical objects)?
3. is a shorter audio clip more effective than
a longer one, since I will likely have several
other visual pieces at my show?
Q U E S T I O N S