Fractured Memory
Illustration series
In a nutshell, Fractured Memory is a layered written and illustrative artefact that portrays multiple conflicting memories of a real incident twenty years ago.
In 2002, I fractured my left arm when I was playing at a playground with my siblings. Being so young, I have no recollection of the incident. I rely on my family’s accounts from that day. However, all of their memories are different.
This project investigates the complexities of memory over time, including its malleability and susceptibility to later experiences. It additionally explores truth.
Fractured Memory comes as two parts - the illustration set and the written supporting evidence. The illustrations were printed on transparent acetate, to mirror actual x-ray film, and the written stories have been presented as incident reports.
The series features a collection of six memories. Many reflect my family’s recounts from that day, however there some fictitious and unrelated elements. A recent arm fracture that occurred during the production stage was also included in the project. Alone, each illustration presents a believable version of events. But together, the story is muddled with no definitive answer.
Each illustration has been drawn in a simple, flat, and animated style to emphasise childhood innocence and lack of understanding and memory. Much like a real child’s drawing, the illustrations have little regard for accurate anatomy and proportion. This is further seen on the injury report, where the featured human diagrams appear unrealistic, out of place, and child-like.
Pairing the comical illustrations with the injury report further explores this concept of truth. While there are inconsistencies in my family’s recollections, it is a fact that I broke my arm. The format of the medical document is rigid. My family’s memories are twenty years old and broken, and do not fit neatly inside the structure. However, the design highlights the discrepancies in each story, and emphasises how challenging it can be to recall an event from twenty years ago. Additionally, the childish scribble of a sad and crying face on the human diagram reflects emotion – an element that it not typically relevant on an official injury report.
