Elaborative Encoding
2007
Blood on Arches Aquarelle hot press watercolor paper
15”H x 15”W

Elaborative Encoding is a series of drawings that explores the pattern and structure of the doily as a metaphor for the formation and degradation of memory.  The doily is a traditional heirloom object that would be handed down from generation to generation, as are cultural traditions and stories that our memories are often based on.  “Elaborative encoding” is a term used to describe how adults form new memories.  Our memories are encoded using information that we already know forming an elaborate web of related memories and knowledge.  Memories are formed and stored in association with one another.  The drawings in the series are done with blood, a substance that contains our inherited genetic information.  The drawings imply the patterns and structures of traditional doilies and resist interpretation of growth or degradation.  The delicate lines fray off into intricate, nerve-like endings.  The strands form the thread-like elements of the doily structure.