Adam Mosers project ” We Wouldn’t Trade Those Years” opened last night at RAYGUN. The show was developed follwing an exchange Adam had with his Grandma where in which she told stories surrounding photographs that were taken during her Son ( Adam’s Uncle) Eddies visit to Australia. The photographs are on display at RAYGUN and Adam has invited visitors to the show to write a letter to Grandma to share their expeirences with the photographs and or ask questions and make comments.
Lots of people came through at different times and people wrote letters, there were also others who had conversations about the photos and didn’t write. Everyone loved it, and were so excited to be able to write to Grandma, I think there will be some very wonderful letters, people took time and sit write and talk together.
Tarn and I shared a cup of tea thismorning to discuss the exhibition and some of the feedback Tarn recieved included people with goosebumps and others who became teary with the nostalgia of the show and how the photographs related to their own families and experiences.
The only thing that we struggled with was the technology, so we were unable to speak with Adam but hope to do so soon. We have loved having Adam’s show at RAYGUN, everyone has loved it!
Thanks to those who came down last night and if you haven’t seen the work and can’t make it on Sunday call us, we’ll make a date and show you through, it’s not to be missed.
love as always,
Tarn and Ali
INTERVIEW WITH ADAM MOSER
1. As a practicing artist what are the issues\concerns you have been consistently addressing within your artwork?
Although I haven’t directly addressed this issue in any of my projects I often think about the work “work” in relationship to what I am doing as an artist. Sometimes I get hung up on this if I am describing my practice that way because I think there should be some utility, need, or objective attached to it. I understand the term in the historic way it’s been used concerning the arts – oeuvre, canon, retrospective of work, etc. But somehow I think if we began to think more in about it in another way, say, like a bus driver thinks about his work, things would get really exciting.
2. Do you classify your art as being one thing more than the other e.g. photography, film, painting, sculpture, music or installation and do you see an expansion into other mediums in the future?
I just identify as an artist most of the time. Most of my projects could be considered Social Practice, though.
3. When you think about making new work do you always consider applying a degree of historical content or do the works weigh more heavily towards a more personal investigation?
Not usually, it’s different for everything though. Mostly what I like to do is leave room for those discoveries to be made by the people experiencing it. Lots of times because of this I learn about something I wasn’t considering initially.
4. When you look back through this body of work do you see any answers unfolding within the investigation?
To me this project came out of a couple of experiences I have had with my grandmother this past year. I went to visit twice and both times I had a new friend with me who hadn’t met her. My grandma, Esther, is 92 and each time I introduced her to my friends she would pretty quickly start recalling memories. Pretty beautiful conversations came out of this. I tended to sit back and just listen and watch. At one point, my friend Dana asked about a photograph, this lead to more stories. I could tell my grandma enjoyed telling them too. So, in a way it’s about using the photos as a catalyst to allow her to continue to enjoy her rich history.
RAYGUN 