Jes Schrom

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Reconstructive Memory

Installation Shot #1

Reconstructive Memory | Media List

Installation Shot #1

Statement

This installation began with my inclination to blow stuff up and document the radical transformation. Being a shotgun neophyte, I wrangled myself a connection to an entire gunroom, located in the depths of North Dakota. My connection brought me out to the prairie, gave me a 2-hour introduction to sharp shooting, and then set me free to destroy at will. The end product of this process is the video portion of Reconstructive Memory.

After the shooting, I was left with a video and a studio littered with injured animals- some missing eyes, arms, or legs. It did not take long for a desire to put these animals back together to take hold. So, I began the laborious process of sewing closed all of the buckshot holes, salvaging stuffing, and sorting out eyes and legs to attach back onto the original owner. This incredibly time consuming act of redemption added another layer to the work, one that made the piece feel whole to me again, literally and metaphorically.

Once the throw aways were back to their “original” state, I shot them again, this time with a large format (4x5) camera. The portraits represent my failed effort to reconstruct what I had destroyed. The end product of this process is the photographic portion of Reconstructive Memory.

The portraits in conjunction with the video bring full circle the acts of destruction and redemption, executed by the same hand. This process mimics a larger social dilemma of thoughtless action and the desire to reverse the consequences. I see this project as a way for me, an individual, to address my own complicity in the world’s problems.

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http://www.jschrom.com

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