Lethe:

The river of forgetfulness in Hades. The shades of the dead were required to drink the waters of Lethe in order to forget their earthly life.

Baptism

The usual form of baptism was for the candidate to be immersed, either totally submerged completely under the water or partially standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him or her.

The mechanics of memory are normally inseparable in Richardsons practice however; in this exhibition sound and image are divorced from each other, rendered asynchronous. In a chamber cut off from external sound and light, steady streams of images are fed through. This collection of silent, muted cuts, equal in size and rhythmic in display are then replaced by total darkness. In a blackened room, the soundtrack of what was just viewed plays alone triggering recognition. The sound and vision are stitched in the mind along with all the imperfections of memory. Each repeated synapse reinforces the cerebral assembly and its struggle to recall. In some cases, the act of remembering rewrites itself.

From the wetware of human thoughts to the analog hardware of VHS, a series of portraits reveal prominent figures whose theories and practices have impacted our understanding of viewing, mapping, media, and truth. Each face, copied and recopied from tape to tape until erased. Capturing each generation of loss through photographs printed as animated lenticular sheets that play as audiences pass from left to right.

From a technical perspective Im very excited to translate the video medium into a physical format that can hang on a wall, without the need of electricity. Ive tried to increase the number of frames in my lenticular prints to better describe decay. Also, separating sounds from images is new for me. My work has always observed the strictest adherence to unified, simultaneous sound and image. In this instance, the format isnt video at all, but memory itself and I hope that the failures that are built into each viewer will provide a unique insight into the isolation and untruth each of us overlooks.

About the Artist:

Tasman Richardson received his A.O.C.A.D Diploma in Integrated Media from Ontario College of Art and Design. Richardson is a Toronto based video artist, electronic composer and graphic designer. His work focuses on entropy, tele-presence, appropriation, synesthesia and JAWA editing of which he is the founder; intercutting musical composition and abstract narratives created entirely from strung-together video clips. Richardson has exhibited across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia.

http://neubachershor.com/events/time-lords-lethe-baptism-tasman-richardson/