From the series 'Every Bedroom I've Lived In' Alyssa Bornn takes an intimate and closely considered course to recalling from memory and presenting us with floor plans for the titular series by way of a flatbed scanner. Below are results of her experiments which employs an array of materials including plexiglas, wax paper, packaging plastic, glass and plastic protective film all of which she selected for their ability to manipulate light therefore helping retrace and draw on these architectural spaces she resided in. 

 

Images Courtesy of Artist

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bornn speaks on the scanograph series:

 

Throughout the duration of a six-minute pass on a flatbed scanner objects are arranged to map out floor plans of bedrooms. Uncertainty and failures in memory are registered as glitches and replications on the produced image. As the work is arranged there is a forced re-envisioning both spatially as well as a reflection on the experiences lived out in the space. The act is a meditation on moving and the notion of the built environment as being inherently hyper-personal in that process.

 

The solid rectangles of clear material meant that only the cut edge really reacted to the light passing through it - the middle part acts a window or rather doesn't register as much of anything when scanned. The illuminated edges create thing outlines which can subtly define spaces without much physical presence. These surfaces also have a satisfying tactility when scanned. Any small scratch / smudge will be amplified. This allowed for chance fingerprints to make their way (unplanned) into the work. Which maybe speaks to the performative aspect of the work, or a reminder of the presence of "the hand" in the work. The edges of the plastic and glass refracted the light as they moved across the scanned. I'm generally interested in optics so any chance to play around with these effects was enjoyed. Often the lighter areas (wax paper, film) were ones that represented windows as they best captured/preserved the light. Though, not always. In one scan a segment of cotton cloth is used for its ability to invoke an impression of textiles to represent a carpeted room. From one piece to the next different elements took priority (what was the strongest memory of the space, what held significance). 

Since the arrangements were not preplanned the shapes were not specific. I had some pieces that were more square, some longer, some large areas and some sheets that could be folded and shaped to fit the desired area.

 

 

 

 

Gallery Install

 

 

 

 

Bornn lives and works in Winnipeg, Manitoba and her work is mainly rooted in experimentation and exploration in small scale sculpture work and alternate modes of photography. 

 

You can ask Bornn a question at : alyssabornn@gmail.com