IP Proposal 1

Annie Garcia

IP proposal 10/10/09

What is the role of a locket? This is the basis for my Integrative Project, exploring the roles of what a locket is and the purpose of its various parts. Traditionally, lockets have been made for the wearer to place an object or picture of importance to them. The locket itself is usually a very universal object, shaped and designed for anyone with not much of a hint to what it is inside. Why? Is this because the locket is supposed to be a personal object, only showing the public the importance of it with the permission of the owner? And if this is the case, is there relevance to how long the chain is? Keeping the locket out of sight to the external viewers? My goal is to explore these questions and reverse the conceptual roles of the various aspects of the locket. I want to make a series of lockets that “contain” the memory on the outside and have the inside leave the viewer in question. I want the lockets to be positioned on the body so that they are easily viewed by the public instead of being hidden- playing on the idea of letting people in on our memories instead of keeping them secret or “locked-up” inside a locket.

I plan on presenting my collection of pieces in a gallery. I would like to display each piece in a way that invites the viewer to interact and become “acquainted” with the piece instead of hiding them behind display cases.

With unlimited time and money, I would potentially love to create a huge collection of “memory lockets for the public” based on important memories of people from all over, inviting people to learn more about the people around them. I want each piece to be “precious” and well crafted, showing respect and providing value to the memories presented, which I feel would be hard to realize within a week and with no money. With the funds that I have and the time provided, I believe that I can accomplish a reasonable number of lockets that are well crafted and of a certain value. At the moment I have finished one piece and am in the process of making a second, but as my idea develops and as I collect the memories, I hope to accomplish making at least 2 lockets a month, finishing close to 15-20 lockets by the end of the year. I know it is a big goal, but I believe that as I start to develop the pieces my skills with improve and I will be able to create at a faster and more efficient pace. I hope by November to have a collection of the memories that I plan on using and by mid November at least a sketch for each one. I have been contemplating whether or not I should just use my own memories and make this about opening up myself to the “public” or using other’s memories and trying to create a “community” of opened selves. I am interested in both approaches and both present different challenges. If I limit myself to my own memories, I will be more prone to limiting my pieces and not realizing my goal of presenting memories to the public in a comprehensible way, but I have a better understanding of my own. Using others’ memories I would be relying on others to open themselves up to me and provide me with a launching point for my piece. This would require much more research into the lives of the public, but could potentially be a lot more interesting.