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KASIA HOPE



the places I come back to 

2021 RISD Textiles Degree Project



Memories exist between reality and fiction, between the past and the present.

In “the places I come back to” I was interested in recreating personal monuments from childhood that would become gateways into the ephemeral; making memories and dreams more grounded and accessible for other people to experience.

Through this exploration, I want the viewer to be able to process and understand their own memories, their own missing figures, their own neighborhoods and bedrooms, their own insects.
 


I wish…
          that…


                  dad lived with me,

                  that I could have a cat,

                  that mom and I have a house,

                  that mom and I win the lottery,

                  and that mom and I have the best                       car in the world! ! !



The project consists of a series of objects, that while individual, are connected through the home, longing, and memory.

I invite you to explore them as you would a space that you once forgot. 


Mama Rebirth Table moths and their friends Tata Dzieciństwo w Warszawie


In order to capture the nuances of memory and its processes, I have been working with archival family photos and exploring how I can degrade them through weaving and knitting. The transformation of the imagery represents the different narratives, traumas, and relationships within my family and childhood.




Throughout this process of upheaval and rememory, I’ve come to realize how closely this process reminds me of grieving, of it’s tumultuous nature. Grieving someone who is alive, but who was not there. Grieving the consequences of harms and traumas that I’ve accepted, but simultaneously haven’t been able to move on from. The objects I make are artifacts of healing. They are vessels that simultaneously bring narratives from the past to the surface and create a path of growth for the present and future.
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