About Melissa
Flora Mnemonica
In 2022, images from this series were selected by Lanesville Press LLC, Lanesville NY for a limited run of handmade mezzotint books printed by Gary Kachadourian.
More info at https://melissapenleycormier.com/flora-mnemonica/
Held
Plantmatter
Catalog of Nests
Fret & Focus
Then the slides are archived and photographed. In the studio, the collected slides are inserted into various (often hand-made or rudimentary) viewing devices, then projected, magnified, traced, and scanned. The cobbled-together projectors help to enlarge and explore hidden details of collected specimens.
The specimens are collected, one each day, for a full year. One worry representing one day. Some worries may be similar or linked, but the slides are singular and unique. Each one is a specific marker of time, a specific data point.
Horizon
Digitally stitching the frames of ocean and sky to create a panorama allowed me to re-imagine what it might be like to look out at the same scene.
After transferring the image directly onto the wall at eye level, the horizon line was extended by hand using a mixture of powdered blue chalk and water to incorporate the entire space.
If touched, the chalk would fall from the wall or come off onto the participant’s hand. Visitors were encouraged to touch the line, image, and walls.
As parts of the line and image was damaged, it was repaired with the same chalk mixture until deinstallation, when it was removed with water.
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8mm panoramadigitally composited panorama from scans of 8mm family vacation films
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8mm beachA few seconds of 8mm film was scanned and enlarged to create the 2"x8" print that was transferred directly onto the walls of the installation space. The horizon line was then extended onto all walls of the site.
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installation
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installation horizon
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detail of chalk line
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deinstallation
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deinstallation of horizon