Nostalgic explores the harmful role of nostalgia in contemporary culture. The word ‘nostalgia’ is a combination of the Greek nostos – meaning ‘to return home’ and algia – a painful condition. It is both an ailment and a desire; both backward and forward-facing. The phrase ‘sackcloth and ashes’ comes from ancient Jewish customs of repentance – to wear uncomfortable materials, and ash on the head as a symbol of ruin. It is a reckoning with past actions and a promise into the future.
This project uses materials that blur the distinction between natural and manmade: bitumen (fossilised remains), sackcloth (coarse spun fibre), wood ash (the burning of a tree), and rust (the oxidation of iron). The pieces are designed to produce visceral reactions – to something broken/wrong/ruined; tactile and tangible.
David Nettleingham 