I REMEMBER, THEREFORE I AM
The theory of psychological identity outlines a chaining of memories. According to this approach, personal identity is guaranteed by memory connections, that is, chains in which a person in the present remembers their experiences at a past moment. "I remember, therefore I am" explores the question of identity in relation to the intrinsic, wondering about the substance of things and their persistence through time and constructed memories. For this work, I decided to work with microscopy, seeking to achieve a high level of abstraction and depth. Through photographs I took of the ink from a ballpoint pen seen through an optical microscope, the essential substance takes on objective dimension, managing to express itself materially.
Taking as a starting point such an everyday object as a ballpoint pen, I seek to reflect on the internal, that content that constitutes us as beings.
There are some memories that weigh more than others in our unconscious, that are charged with more emotion and therefore sink deeper into our being. There are others that are lighter, diffuse, and translucent. Some experiences intersect, converge at a point, and give rise to a new plane, a new tint of color in our journey. The plane of color is the trace of that which made a deep impression on us, that marked us in a significant way, generating a multiplicity of effects and sensations.
This work engages in a dialogue with "It Took Me 5 Hours, 40 Minutes, and 6 Seconds to Travel 2 km with a Ballpoint Pen," a piece that stands as an allegory to
an entire lifetime lived. It serves as a witness, recording every trace of a ballpoint pen, from the moment it starts functioning to its deterioration. In this way, it raises the question of whether one disappears when their functionality deteriorates or if one is also the things they do, and thus the essence persists in the actions, consequences, or memories.
On the other hand, "I Remember, Therefore I am" alludes to those records of certain moments in life. Collages of images intertwine, bringing to the present the memories that shape one as a person. Connections are formed between our experiences and lived moments, our personality, and our way of perceiving the world. It also presents a
conversation between essence and form, weaving together and constructing meaning from the coexistence between the chained memories represented by the photographs and the deteriorated functionality of the ballpoint pen, now without ink.
Photographic print of images taken through an optical microscope of the ink of a Bic pen
95 cm x 130 cm
ABOUT THE BIC BALLPEN
There is something very powerful about choosing the ballpoint pen to represent this work from the realm of the everyday. It certainly has a close relationship with Duchamp's ready-made and Filliou's dissolution of art into the everyday. The ballpoint pen is such a mundane, popular element that it often goes unnoticed in our daily lives. It is an object taken for granted, one that doesn't seem to possess any symbolic value in the collective imagination. That's why I believe the choice of this object to express the concepts of this artwork is a very strong one.
However, this decision doesn't solely speak about the everyday. In Duchamp's case, the artwork is created simply by selecting an everyday object and placing it in the context of art. In my work, I utilize this Duchampian declaration to address something more, as each artwork expresses a particular concept beyond its connection to the ready-made. By using the ballpoint pen as a central element, I'm exploring themes of identity, memory, and the persistence of essence. The banal object becomes a vehicle for profound contemplation and reflection. It challenges the notion of what is worthy of observation and artistic expression, inviting viewers to reconsider the significance of the everyday and the potential for meaning in seemingly insignificant objects.
