THE MEMORY BOX
Zev Tiefenbach
The Cube
September 20 to November 1, 2014
Curated by Craig Willms, Kamloops Art Gallery
Zev Tiefenbach’s practice is grounded in film photography. Past bodies of work have included large-scale photographs taken from medium format negatives. With the advent of digital photography and the camera phone, Tiefenbach has become increasingly interested in the way people capture, consume and disseminate images. The ease and disposability of images means that the rigour and concentration of capturing a moment on film and composing an image has become a rare pursuit. With social media and online sources available for storing images, dissemination can be instantaneous.
In this recent project, Tiefenbach presents what he calls “a saturation of self representation,” referring to the never-ending archive of images stored in social media sites that now make up one’s identity. In the memory box, multiple iPad screens play looping videos comprised of fragments of moving images recorded on the artist’s iPhone. These vignettes range from relatives dancing at a family wedding, an odd late night encounter at an Oakland gas station, intimate moments with the artist’s family and a drive home amidst a summer rain storm. Audio is activated manually by the viewer in an attempt to slow down and engage them with the images. With the increased use of digital documentation and the ease of flicking through images and videos, there is a tendency for people to become desensitized by this visual clutter. Tiefenbach attempts to reframe the viewing habits of digital imagery and overcome the passive relationship that has become part of the modern condition.
Installation view of the memory box
Zev Tiefenbach
Photo: Kamloops Art Gallery
