Melissa Gonzalez Lopez

Momentos Perdidos is a ceramic installation exploring the theme of dementia as seen from the eyes of a close relative. This work records the years I have shared with my grandfather in its twenty-one ceramic pieces. Different local wild clays, with different textures and physical properties represent the progressive nature of dementia. The naturally brittle clay body itself, from the Ichawaynochaway riverbed, serves as a medium to illustrate the neurological decay, forgetfulness, and loss of sense of self associated with this disorder through time. Each ceramic piece contains a screen-printed photograph of my grandfather from my childhood up until the making of this installation. Behind the photographs, an excerpt from a poem written by my partner narrates scenes from my past with my grandfather. This poem serves as a personal reminder to remember my grandfather for the person he was and not for his terminal illness.


Excerpt from Splinters by Micah Scott:

Wood carvings on a rooftop
A little girl remembers abuelo's hands
She keeps them close to her always

But, there's a splintering
Abuelo's mind is tired now
The past is a pale thing
and The rooftop is foreign
700 miles away, he wanders

Memories pushed off the table
A reservior spilling over
Floating off like fireflies
You reach out for an instant
but they're delicate things
So you uncup your hands and forget.

--

I pray that as abuelo forgets, she is reminded not with splinters but with fireflies
everything he built for her.




Momentos Perdidos was first exhibited at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts during Spring of 2021 and later at 621 Gallery on October of 2022, where it was altered to represent the advanced neurological decay.