“The blank souvenirs “I Remember Montenmedio” are passive objects, empty in terms of content and do not offer any image of what the place is like or how it can be remembered. I hope people accept them as an invitation to think about this place based on their own personal experiences and in the manner they most enjoy”.
“I remember (…) revolves around the consumption of memory in an artistic setting”.
Iván de la Torre, diario ABC
I REMEMBER – 2003
Partegàs’ work is primarily comprised of generic elements which constitute our urban landscape, such as rubbish bags, notice boards, automatic teller machines, trees, and benches.
“I Remember” invites the spectator to become a fundamental, active part in the work. It is through one’s own memories of Montenmedio that the artist inspires us to examine the specific location and consider our perception and vision of the same. The artist wants to show us our consumerist side and worse still, the consumerist nature of our memories, of the memory that we want to bring home in the form of souvenirs.
The dispensing machine which contains objects designed by Ester does not offer us consumer products with images which remind us of Montenmedio. On the contrary, the artist forces us to activate our memories, our perception of the place, so that the products that we finally buy have value as a moment, a memory. The spectator is an active part of the object, and as a result, each object is unique and personal.
“Es a través de un juego de reminiscencias y de evocación que la artista lucha contra la idea de los productos de consumo de masas produciendo productos únicos para cada individuo”
Jimena Blázquez Abascal
