Diane Swanson finished her second Memory Box, Childhood Memories for the Functional Art Show. The combination of the expression of the future through the computer parts, with the traditional painting and swing, have a feeling of traveling through time and back again. It seems a portal or time machine. I imagine opening it up and placing a piece of paper in it with a wish for the future or past then closing it and allowing it to work it’s magic.
Although she doesn’t mention it having any magical powers, Diane wrote about Childhood Memories on her blog freehawkart.wordpress.com “This piece gave me the opportunity to learn how to solder, since its design created construction obstacles that would inhibit the use of glue or screws. I visualized this piece to emulate popsicle stick boxes to go with the context of childhood and memories in the painting; the mountains, lake, flowering ornamental cherry tree and attached swing made of a computer resister and copper wire are combined to provide the setting. Each element is a single aesthetic memory that overlaps and combines with other meaningful visual memories. My dreams often involve the jumbling of many memories together; this piece works a little like that.”
