MELISSA BANKS
FORGET ME NOT
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER, THE HOUSE WHERE I WAS BORN
Alzheimer’s is an invisible disease. It starts out subtly, but as it progresses it is obvious in every movement and interaction.
I have used ICM to convey the fogginess, confusion and memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s. Small bits of clarity and recall, amongst a backdrop of blurred confusion. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 56. She changed before our eyes, writing notes to jog her own memory and clinging to the names of whānau members, as they slipped out of her grasp. Now I’m experiencing my mother in law going through the same process. The once strong and independent wahine is now cared for in a home and while she can still recall the smallest detail from years ago, she can’t remember what you said two minutes prior.
“He Taonga Te Wareware”.
This whakatauki tells us that forgetfulness is a treasure and is commonly translated as “Let bygones be bygones”, choosing which insults to let go, in order to move forward positively. I like to think that it also celebrates our kaumātua and recognises that cognitive decline does not diminish their deserved societal status. It encourages us to look away from the slow and harrowing process of loss and instead take moments to find beauty in what we still have.
ARTIST FOLIO AND BIO
ABOUT MELISSA
Melissa is based in Whakatū Nelson, where her work focuses on lifestyle photography, events and nature. Melissa can often be found photographing local iwi wānanga and kaupapa, as well as amongst the Nelson Tasman art scene.
Melissa's most substantive exhibition is Te Ara o Hine Rēhia - A Journey Into The World of Kapa Haka, which was previously shown at Nelson Museum with a companion exhibition at Nelson Airport. It will be on display again at Marlborough Art Gallery from Matariki later this year. Recently she also exhibited as part of the Kanohi Kitea exhibition at Suter Art Gallery.
Melissa is a devotee to light and enjoys story telling. Her photography captures emotions, details and interactions, which invites the viewer to share in an experience.
Ko ia kāhore nei i rapu, tē kitea.