Frame in Focus: Anniversaries and Memory
This week we’ve been revisiting a Frame Set we made FoR an Anniversary. As a result, we’ve also been contemplating memory, why we do and don’t recall certain things, the impact of emotion, and the ways in which we commemorate the passage of time within certain relationships.
We live in the present. We regularly find ourselves looking to the future. Yet, our entire understanding of our worlds, ourselves and our relations with others is rooted in the past. Our very realities are therefore subject to memory. What we remember and how we remember it quite literally informs and constitutes the framework through which we see the world. And there are often said to be many types of memory; intellectual memory, emotional memory, physical memory and so fourth.
Memories themselves are thought to be records of the past as based in the senses, be they touch, tastes, scent, feel or visuals. It is often these stimuli that then reignite memories for us. We now know that the actual process of remembering and of storing memories is controlled by our hippocampus. This part of our brain does the storage work of sorting and designating memories to certain areas of our brain via certain synapses. Memories are stored within the cerebral cortex having been filtered by a process prioritization; including both long-term and short-term memories. So with this highly efficient system in place, one might ponder… why do we forget?
The saying, ‘you know more than you think you know,’ holds relevance here. We, as humans, typically retain a lot more information in the form of memory than we can consciously recall. This is evidenced by event such as dreaming, hypnosis, and sensory stimulus provoking memories that we are surprised to find we still posses. Like skills, those memories that are not repeated and practiced are frequently forgotten. Without revision there is an ineffectual cooling of memories in our grey matter as time passes. However, an instance where it is very difficult for this to occur is in an instance of love. When we hold strong emotional feeling for another we are continually compelled to revisit and revise the memories and sensory stimulus that confirms and records our affection for another. On that basis, it is probably best that we do not forget those important anniversaries, for fear that it is proposed that our love has indeed been forgotten by us…!
Wedding anniversaries are traditionally marked in the UK relative to the year that is being celebrated post-marriage. Most years following a couple’s nuptials are named and associated with a specific material. The first year is commemorated with paper, the second by cotton, the third leather, the fourth by fruit and flowers, the fifth by wood and so on… It is thought that this system of linking materials to the anniversaries of years stems back to the Holy Roman Empire. In this period of history, husbands were believed to crown their wives on both the 25th and the 50th anniversaries of their marriage. The 25th saw them gift a crown of silver, while the 50th year warranted a crown of gold. Silver and Gold are still the materials that are culturally associated with the 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries respectively. Over the years the number of materials relative to years has diversified, but there is still a general understanding that the gift given to mark a particular year should be made of the material of that year. This throws up some interesting and very exciting possibilities for us at Frames of Reference(!) Ultimately, each material is a symbol of remembrance, celebration and most importantly good luck for the years to come.
Returning to our Frame Set FoR the Anniversary within our online gallery, this piece was created to mark a very specific year. While it wasn’t deemed specific relative to a commemorative material, it was to mark the moment in time when the couple in question had been together for longer in their lifetimes than they had been apart.
This Frame was commissioned by the sister of the female counterpart of the recipient couple being celebrated. She explained the pair’s dynamic to us, and what came across absolutely was the strength and loyalty with which they face the world together; a steadfast pairing and unquestionable unit who really are one another’s everything. Our client recounted their story, from their meeting in Oxford, their various homesteads and their adventures right up until the present and the beautiful family they have created together.
Besides the places and geographies of their relationship, we thought through the music, experiences and adventures that are pertinent to them and their dynamic. It was unmistakable that they are two remarkable people who mean a great deal to their wider family – hence this commission in the first place. One key factor in the creation of this Frame Set was to celebrate not only the connectedness of these two as a couple but also to commemorate their individual characters, beauty and brilliance.
One of the features of this relationship that really caught our attention was the focus on Autumn. It was explained to us that this season holds huge significance within the couple’s shared history, hosting many key life events and memories and often being referenced between them with loving sentiment. This immediately conjured up a colour pallet, warmth and sense of the outdoors which seemed wholly relevant to their pairing.
Bearing in mind that we were keen to celebrate them both as a couple and as individuals, we proposed that the best means to capture their essence was to create a duo Frame Set of two Frames. However, rather than simply have one represent each partner we wanted to show their journey by having the Set act as depictions of two differing stages in time. The first shows their “Spring”; the time in which they met as two entities collaborating in a greater world. The second Frame represents their “Autumn”; embracing the colour and bloom of their match.
The Spring Frame therefore depicts the coming together of two different young plant forms. These are a new vine and a young sapling, meeting for the first time and beginning their symbiotic relationship as they quite literally reach for the sky together. The vine represents the inquisitive grace of the female partner in this pairing, as she negotiated the time in which they met, while the male partner is present in the form of the young tree, preparing for growth and already showing signs of strength and a well-rooted love for his other half. The leaves, stems and buds of each botanical form are constructed from the paper artifacts that evidence each of them as an individual, becoming sculptural and animated within the piece. The pallet of this, the Spring frame, is youthful and light – in keeping with the hues and colourings that were felt to best represented the female half of this couple. It embodies youth, energy and optimism.
By contrast to the Spring Frame, the Autumn Frame is emblematic of a later time – the present. It features the same two beings but now at a later stage of their collective journey. Here they have grown strong and definite in their connectedness. As the vine has been supported by the tree it has come to bloom, its beauty and grace accenting the endurance and determination of the tree: A true team.
In this Frame, the colour pallet is a clear contrast, now exploding with the beautiful ambers, reds and oranges of the autumnal months that hold such significance for the couple. This plays into the brighter colourings that were felt to be more representative of the male half in this pairing. And as the tree supports the vine, it blooms with passiflora, or passion flowers; representative of the powerful love that these two harbour for one another. Here, these structures are composed from the materials of their shared existence. And while a chrysalis hangs in the Spring frame, this has since morphed into a butterfly, and a small bird takes nectar from a bloom; these representing the two children they have had together, and the life that is nourished and sustained by them as parents. These beings are formed from their little ones’ interests in animals, transport and the heartwarming songs that the rest of the family have collaboratively written for them. Ultimately, this is a Frame Set about teamwork, growth and a love that lasts throughout time.
We were delighted to hear how pleased the sister who commissioned this Frame Set was. In her feedback she commented that:
“The finished piece is simply stunning! At first glance it looks like a beautiful, unique piece of art but I love looking at all of the incredibly intricate details and subtleties and discovering something new about it every time I look. It is something I could stare at for hours and relive different memories. I already have members of my family who are desperate for one to be made for them.”
From our discussions with her after the Frame Set was gifted it certainly seems to have captured and highlighted the uniqueness and importance of this couple’s love, not only between each other but even within their greater family.
If you were to celebrate your time with that someone special in your life, how might you go abut doing it? If you would like to start a conversation with us about how we could help you realise a truly special piece then get in touch via our email, Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to help.
