SUMMER LYNN MOORE

from Intersections 2022, Tyler School of Art and Architecture

by Tyler School of Art and Architecture

NEYSA HOPE WELLINGTON

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY STAHL

How do we remember treasured moments, milestones, people, and decisions that have influenced the course of our lives? Human beings hold an intrinsic method of memorialization through material mementos like photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, and videos. These legacy didactics, or personal archives, have long been used as resources for researching our genealogical and cultural histories—but what do they teach us about the phenomenology of remembrance itself? Working with glass, sound, and other media, sculptor Summer Lynn Moore investigates the tension between the duality of transience and permanence, the delicate and durable, and mortality and immortality.

The artist spent two years collecting piles of affectionate notes on paper holding sentiments like “thank you for being my first friend” and “you’re incredible.” Playing with archival materiality, she transferred the sweet messages onto delicate sheets of textured glass with varying border patterns mimicking vintage papyrus stationery, a delicate but permanent tribute to her friendships. In contrast to the paper notes, Moore’s archived memories of touch and dialogue were formerly incorporeal. Using both unstained and soft pink coral glass, Moore sculpts tactile moments like tender hand embraces and the fleeting grasp of an arm. At first glance, the sculptures resemble metaphysical shapes that echo the mysterious hollows of warm-hued sandstone slot canyons. Upon closer look, discernable details of squeezed fingers, creased knuckles, and smooth nail surfaces reveal themselves. Moore centers the figures on painted-black plaster, adding weight, both literally and symbolically, to the structure. The juxtaposition of fragile representations of precious moments cemented into place illuminates the smooth, gleaming embraces and speaks to a dichotomy of the archive: permanence and fragility. She mounts the finished plastered glass into elaborate gold frames—an homage to Baroque still-life paintings that also memorialized the fleeting nature of sensory moments.

Moore’s soundscapes reverberate studio conversations with friends about their own oral histories and memories throughout the gallery space. Using black glass, the sculptor constructed a sound tunnel that serves both as an amplifier of sound and a mirror to bare the reflection of the viewers. This meta-sensory encounter invites us to consider our own practices of remembering and collecting while learning the stories of others. Moore hopes her work will ignite a renewed appreciation of our limited time together, our relationships with loved ones, and a deeper consideration for the memories we keep

REMNANTS OF LETTERS

(above)

Glass, ink, paint. Dimensions variable.

Installation view.