The Unforgotten by Penelope Forlano
Updated: Dec 8, 2019
The Unforgotten continues the quilt-like form as a collage of memory akin to Penelope's previous projects and is conceived as a future family heirloom. It is about remembrance and kinship relations. The customised engravings here reflect meaningful family possessions, stories, events and places on one person.
Random facets of the timber front are laser engraved with representations of disparate highly personal objects from circa 1949-50 and kept hidden for over 60 years in a small box so as not to be damaged from handling, light and environment through the passage of time. These objects are the only physical possessions remaining of the client's mother after her passing during child birth. Amongst the possessions are hand-made silk lace, hand transcribed poetry and incomplete hand-drawn diagrams of embroidery.
Other representations include childhood memories and iconic representations of the birthplace of the client and her mother. These items have been digitally scanned and engraved onto the furniture surface.
The hand-written words and diagrams on pieces of decomposing paper, is now represented in a more robust material, whilst also providing a new characteristic; that is the texture of the text as it is engraved into the material. The texture of the silk is also captured three dimensionally as a deep engraving.
