Weaving Dreams: The Paper Collage Chronicles

Remember those school days filled with fads and trends? I had a thing for paper swapping—the more flimsy, translucent, and dreamlike, the better. Whilst my friends were busy swapping sheets, I secretly squirreled away paper, cherishing and hoarding mine. Then, lovingly, I sorted them into ring binder photo albums. Fast-forward to today, my love affair with paper continues; I've simply thrown found imagery into the mix.

Why Collage? 

Working with paper as a medium is like going on a tactile adventure -choosing, rearranging and adjusting different elements - its relooking and decoding images - its working with the heart rather than the hand.

 It's very much like making a puzzle, with a bit of poetic licence thrown in for good measure.  You try to create a harmonious flow with imagery and paper, combining storytelling with the imprints of time. Sometimes it’s realistic but more and more it’s bordering on the abstract.

Finding Freedom ‘In Between’

For me, collage is a bit of escapism in the midst of life's chaos. Almost everything I’ve made these last couple of months was done under time-pressured, distracted circumstances. Unlike painting, which needs uninterrupted blocks of time, a brief hour or two with collage is enough of a window to create some magic.

Dust & Memories

My grandmother ran an antique/junk shop business, and her home was a chaotic warehouse of ‘stuff’. When I visited, I would sit and page through old books, marvelling at the piles of bric-a-brac and dust everywhere. It was so different from my home, but endearing and fascinating all at the same time (perhaps a bit of selective memory going on here?). And so, creating collage has becomes a direct link to my past— a journey of narratives that bridges generations.

Collage goes beyond being just an art form or creative outlet; it's a tranquil respite in the everyday chaos, weaving a nostalgic journey down memory lane.