Avoided Objects explores the quiet presence of memory, abandonment, and the overlooked spirit embedded in a little, forgotten village.
By the sense of mystery I understand the experience of certain places and times when one's whole nature seems to be in touch with a presence, a genius loci, a potency.
Richard Aldington
Genius loci is Latin for spirit or protective deity. The idea of a spirit of place comes from the ancient belief that certain places are inhabited by gods or spirits. Avoided Objects explores the quiet presence of collective memory, abandonment, and the overlooked spirit of a quiet Romanian village. Using photo embroidery technique, I intervene in the past, changing and stitching connections between forgotten narratives and the once inhabited spaces.
The embroidered elements act as both a disruption and a form of preservation, hiding and emphasizing what’s left at the same time.
Genius loci does not mean that the place must be unusual or exceptional. The point of genius loci is to experience a distinctive atmosphere of the place. The experience can be repeated over and over again until we connect bits of the nature of the world we come across on the site.
https://martynabenedyka.com/Selected-Projects
