Elliot Collins Memory Castle, 2019
Scaffolding, fencing, billboard vinyl, cable ties and enamel pens. 7000 x 7000 x 5000 mm approx.
This work comprises of hundreds of memories of visitors and residents on Waiheke Island. The pennants that cover this temporary castle flutter on the breeze and signal a thought, prayer or reminder of a person, place or moment that is significant to those individuals who add their flag to the castle.
The scaffolding acts as a skeleton or sketch of a castle, a building that was traditionally made to be long lasting and solid. This castle is the inverse of that type of structure. It is transparent and momentary just like a passing memory or thought of a loved one or a past event. It questions ways of holding on to memory or ways of letting go.
The hand drawn flags made by local school children and visitors are added to the castle over the duration of Sculpture on the Gulf 2019 and reflect the value of memory that each contributor shares. Those who pass by Memory Castle will be asked to pause a moment, read a few flags and contemplate how collective memory works in an age of introversion and isolation.
