memorium

memorium is a deeply personal exploration of memory, loss, and the inevitability of decay, both physical and emotional. this project began with my collection of old photographs of my mother, who passed away due to postpartum hemorrhage in 2011. though the child survived, her presence quickly began to fade—not only in memory but also in the physical images meant to preserve her. stored improperly, her photographs succumbed to decay, much like memories erode when they are not revisited.

a guava tree was planted over her grave—a living marker of her resting place. yet, even as the tree strives, her essence, captured in fragile pieces of photographic paper, withered. this profound contrast between natural growth and the decay of human memory became the emotional and conceptual heart of this work.

grounded in edward thorndike’s theory of decay, which posits that memory fades over time when not revisited or rehearsed, memorium examines the fragility of remembrance. thorndike’s theory suggests that memories, much like neglected photographs, are not permanent; without active engagement, they are vulnerable to the passage of time. this realization led me to confront not only my own inability to keep her image intact but also the universal struggle against the impermanence of life and memory.