Reminiscing about the past is a work made with polaroid instant film. To Axelle Van Meel, a memory is a subjective thing. A memory is a reflection of how we experienced a certain event. It’s subjective and varies since everyone looks at the world differently. A memory fades throughout time. Some parts might get lost, and others get accidentally altered. In this work, Axelle attempted to not only recapture old memories but also alter them as the human mind does. She used several experimental techniques on her prints to make these mental layers visible. She used polaroid instant film because physical prints show the alterations made to them. During her progress, she discovered polaroids have a memory. She would take multiple pictures of the polaroids as they were drying out or setting. In the accompanying video work, this process is shown. The alterations of these polaroids were made either during the development of the prints or afterwards. It could take up to 4 months before a polaroid would finally set and reveal its final form. With this work, she attempts to help find lost memories of the viewer but also make them aware that memories are not as objective as we sometimes believe them to be.

About

Axelle Van Meel (°2000) is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist. From an early age, Axelle was fascinated by art and its many forms. She is currently studying Academic Visual Arts Photography at LUCA School of Arts in Genk, BE. Axelle Van Meel’s work revolves around human anatomy, the mind and its many aspects. She’s intrigued by its workings and possibilities. She’ll often do small studies of these topics before putting them together. Her mind is wired differently, which causes her to look at the neurotypical mind from another direction which makes it fascinating. Most of Axelle Van Meel’s works are experimental. Some works revolve around feminism, others around mental health. These are topics that lie close to her. Usually, an activist stance is taken in these works since she believes they should be talked about more.