Adrian Forty
Created @11 februari 2024 21:33
Class CI
Type Reading
Subject Art
Reviewed
Deadline @22 februari 2024
The Art of Forgetting; Introduction
The document "The Art of Forgetting" delves into the intricate relationship
between memory and forgetting, exploring the significant role of objects,
monuments, and architecture in shaping collective memory. It scrutinizes the
complexities of remembering and forgetting, challenging the conventional
belief that material objects serve as direct analogues of memory. The
document highlights the ephemeral nature of memory, drawing on examples of
ephemeral monuments, Freud's theory of mental processes, and the difficulties
of commemorating the Holocaust. It emphasizes that memory is not solely
reliant on physical objects and that forgetting is often intentional and desired,
as evidenced in Freud's theory. The document also discusses the impact of
iconoclasm, demonstrating that the destruction of monuments does not always
lead to forgetting, but can instead prolong memory by leaving voids that
become memorable themselves.
Furthermore, the document scrutinizes the application of these themes in art
practices, particularly in architecture and urbanism. It critiques the uncritical
attachment of these disciplines to the traditional Western belief that material
objects, such as buildings, provide a complete and satisfactory analogue for
memory. It presents the English sculptor Rachel Whiteread's design for a
memorial to the exterminated Austrian Jews as an example, highlighting its
Adrian Forty 1
Created @11 februari 2024 21:33
Class CI
Type Reading
Subject Art
Reviewed
Deadline @22 februari 2024
The Art of Forgetting; Introduction
The document "The Art of Forgetting" delves into the intricate relationship
between memory and forgetting, exploring the significant role of objects,
monuments, and architecture in shaping collective memory. It scrutinizes the
complexities of remembering and forgetting, challenging the conventional
belief that material objects serve as direct analogues of memory. The
document highlights the ephemeral nature of memory, drawing on examples of
ephemeral monuments, Freud's theory of mental processes, and the difficulties
of commemorating the Holocaust. It emphasizes that memory is not solely
reliant on physical objects and that forgetting is often intentional and desired,
as evidenced in Freud's theory. The document also discusses the impact of
iconoclasm, demonstrating that the destruction of monuments does not always
lead to forgetting, but can instead prolong memory by leaving voids that
become memorable themselves.
Furthermore, the document scrutinizes the application of these themes in art
practices, particularly in architecture and urbanism. It critiques the uncritical
attachment of these disciplines to the traditional Western belief that material
objects, such as buildings, provide a complete and satisfactory analogue for
memory. It presents the English sculptor Rachel Whiteread's design for a
memorial to the exterminated Austrian Jews as an example, highlighting its
Adrian Forty 1
