Memory and Oblivion

James Milne

James Milne on ‘Memory and Oblivion’

When researching a site, I’m drawn toward the periphery, recording overlooked or prosaic traces. This includes photographing or drawing debris or vernacular buildings left behind by demolition or clearing. I also utilise a range of sources such as public archives, inexpensive postcards or found imagery to aid the direction and focus of my practice.

I regard drawing from the photographic document as a space for beginning a process of translation and redirection that encourages further reflection from the viewer. I am keen to avoid associations with the picturesque, which are often associated with traditional landscape representation. I see my work as responding to palimpsests or traces within landscapes rather than a preoccupation with vistas.

Fragmented remains constructed from concrete — previously perceived as the material of modernity and progress — paradoxically now hover between memory and oblivion, drawing out…