Heather Steckler
Portfolio
Exhibitions
Heather Steckler is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Iowa City, IA.
Portfolio
Exhibitions
Heather Steckler is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Iowa City, IA.
Self Preservation
Exploring my family's archives of photos and artifacts, I encounter intriguing similarities to my own disorganized yet obsessive tendencies of collecting and ferreting away mementos…
Encountering these similarities has sparked my curiosity about what these archives reveal about our familial identity. Are they solely the narrative of past generations or do they also reflect aspects of my own identity?
As I engage with these materials, I find myself grappling with the responsibilities of being one of the caretakers of this collection.
What images am I entitled to share?
Do I have the right to alter or discard the images and items I come across?
In response to these questions, I have begun to explore the limits of my agency over this archive. I experimented with cutting up and reconstructing new compositions, creating fresh combinations and containers, and revisiting and rewriting memories. Through these processes, I challenge the conventional notion that preservation of memories necessitates pristine, untouched relies. Instead, I embrace the possibilities of deterioration, loss, or evolution, with the hope of returning life to memories that may have otherwise remained forgotten.