Here in the Big Unknown, After All the Deaths and Departures: Exploring Place Attachment and Memory

Abstract

By applying a research-creation methodology, this paper contextualizes the experiences of disconnection and relocation of a newcomer immigrant artist who attempts to build a connection to their new living place of Calgary by referring to the past. In this investigation I explore the influence of place in shaping emotions, experiences, a sense of belonging, and social identity. This paper highlights how I am informed by theories of place and memory within my autoethnographic artistic practice. I discuss how I use printmaking and painting to incorporate archival and contemporary photos within this work. My paintings, Here in the big unknown, use the specific characteristics of a place to generate and revive memories and investigate a sense of belonging and identity. My prints, After all the deaths and departures, show how family photographs assist us in anchoring our memories by acting as a reminder to bring the past into the present, in order to tie us to our social groups and to the places we have left. I indicate how social relationships and interaction with places contribute to a sense of connection and belonging to a place by bringing together individual and shared memories of a community.