"The Spectrum of Nostalgia" Research Findings

 "The Spectrum of Nostalgia" Research Findings

Josie Ervin

Found between July 15th-22nd, 2024

• Artist Gabrielle Szwarcenberg “Nostalgia Project” https://szwarcenberg.com/nostalgia-project
• Introduces the idea of escapism to a time in someone’s life that was bittersweet, the power it holds on a person, and what it can do to an individual that is surrounding themselves in this feeling
• Mediums: Collage, Photography, Textiles and Fabric (Patchwork), Alongside informative and illustrative research such as physical notation, 2D drawings and renderings, and a physical moldboard of concepts taken from multiple time periods in the installation
• "Challenging the idea of nostalgia being nothing more than an illusion"
• Media Driven: How can 3D installations, alongside refined research and mood board collections, formulate a deep comprehension of the "illusion" that Szwarcenberg defines nostalgia to be?
• Image:

Artist: Gabrielle Szwarcenberg

"Nostalgia Project"

Year: Not specified

Dimensions: Not specified

Medium: 3D Sculpture, Painting

• Various Artists  “Memory Lane: An Exhibition About Design, Childhood and Nostalgia” https://archive.pinupmagazine.org/articles/exhibition-blow-up-friedman-benda-curated-by-felix-burrichter-charlap-hyman-herrero 
• An architectural exhibition displaying the search for nostalgic, reminiscent times in one’s life through patterns, colors, textures and an opaque color palette.
• Mediums: 3D Modeling/Rendering, Textiles/Fabric with the tiger rug piece?
• Motive Driven: Who is this "child-like" space aimed towards? Is it meant for adults to reminisce in times that remind them of these architectural pieces, or instill new memories for a younger generation?
• Image:

Artists: Luca Cipelletti, Larry Randolph (Glazed Ceramics on Table),

Chen & Kai (Oil Age placements)

"XYZ Table"

Year: 2018, 2011

Dimensions: Not Specified

Mediums: 3D Ceramics and Wood Crafting

• Artist Unknown, “Non-Stick Nostalgia” https://madmuseum.org/exhibition/non-stick-nostalgia
• A Y2K Retrofuturism Contemporary piece of Jewelry for the Museum of Arts and Design. Adolescent minds began searching for a futuristic take on the early internet and how to expand that in the 3D.
• Mediums: 3D in Jewelry and Design (plastic, chrome)
• Method/Motive Driven: How can concepts such as self-actualization and individuality be reflected in a piece that is centered around the Y2K/Early 2000s Era? Is it directed towards a specific group of people (such as Millennials, previously mentioned in the article)? 
• Image:

Artist: Unknown

"Non-Stick Nostalgia"

Year: 2019

Dimensions: Not Specified

Medium: 3D Design and Crafting

• Artists Mary Fortuna & Adrian Hatfield “Nostalgia & Outrage” https://oaklandpostonline.com/48157/showcase/nostalgia-outrage-ou-welcomes-newest-art-exhibition/#
• A state of mind, this form of nostalgia is based on the artists journeys, past and present, and how they make their works. The themes displayed include greed, apathy and absurdity in today’s society. To leave behind the pain and find the strength in ourselves to create a healing, peaceful world is what Fortuna and Hatfield aim to accomplish in this exhibition. 
• Mediums: Fabric, collage-painting, 3D sculpture
• Method/Motive Driven: How do these multi-media artists approach this rigorous theme with a sense of hope and possibility for a more compassionate and healing world amidst prevailing social challenges?
• Image:

Artist: Mary Fortuna

"Protection Flag"

Year: 2023

Dimensions: Not specified

Medium: Linen, Cotton applique and Embroidery

• Artist Alex Da Corte “Nostalgia for Pop” https://www.frieze.com/article/alex-da-corte-helter-shelter-review-2020
• A solo exhibition to discuss the iconographies and hierarchies of bygone eras of pop. The three pieces shown from the exhibition open the audience to a world that once was and its meaning being lost in what we think Pop Art is in the present.
• Mediums: Painting, Textiles/fabrics (velvet, sequin)
• Motive Driven: How has the evolution of Pop Art, as seen through Da Corte's exhibition, shifted from celebrating classic, popular culture to critically examining the sentimental impact it has on artists today?
• Image:

Artist: Alex Da Corte

"The Democrats or: White Teeth or..."

Year: 2020

Dimensions: 186x186x8cm

Medium: Plexiglass, Flash paint, Sequin pins, Foam, 

Velvet, Hardware and a Wood frame

• Various Artists “Nostalgia: Group Exhibition” https://www.moderneden.com/pages/nostalgia 
• A group exhibition of nostalgic toys and games from childhood as a still-life in their art piece. This is a tribute to this object/game in its honor for the purpose it served during the artist’s childhood.
• Mediums: Painting (acrylic, oil), drawing (colored pencil, charcoal), clay (sculpture)
• Motive Driven: When painting from nostalgic memories, what visual techniques influence the viewer's emotional response to these objects from their childhoods?
• Image:

Artist: Robert Bowen

"Fever Dream"

Year: 2014

Dimensions: 12x12in

Medium: Acrylic paint on Panel

• Artist Twiggy Boyer “Collaging Nostalgia, Memories and Connections” https://artstoheartsproject.com/collaging-nostalgia-memories-and-connections-w-twiggy-boyer-artist-spotlight/ 
• Mixed media collages often created using vintage found photographs. Boyer seeks to find connections to nostalgia and memories through her work. She strives to see how her own moments in her life may align with others, using these patterns to create layers and repetition to form these collages.
• Mediums: Photography, illustration with watercolor/other paints
• Method/Motive Driven: How can the process of collaging found objects and family memorabilia create an intensely emotional connection by "borrowing" nostalgic memories, and intertwine them with Boyer's personal experiences?
• Image:

Artist: Twiggy Boyer

"Afternoon at the Park"

Year: 2023

Dimensions: Not specified

Medium: Collage on Vintage Fabric