Sophie Fallas
Pencil on paper
My practice explores the relationship between memory, time and materiality. Through a repetitive process of drawing, manipulating, and reworking childhood photos, I investigate how memories become altered over time through handling, distortion, and nostalgia. The tears, folds, and creases act as visible effects of time, transforming the image into a fragile, three-dimensional object. This work is informed by themes of observation, repetition, material presence, and the fragile nature of memory.
Working with graphite and white gel pens, I use tonal shading, stippling, and precise mark-making to carefully record every detail, including the shadows, edges, and surface textures. The labour-intensive process becomes central to the work itself, reflecting the slow act of revisiting and reshaping memories. By emphasising the photograph as an object, my drawings explore the tension between preservation and deterioration.
My current series focuses on a childhood photograph of myself ripping open a present. This was a deliberate choice for its physicality and emotional tone, creating a parallel between the action of tearing open wrapping paper and the repeated scrunching and flattening of the original photograph through drawing. Through this transformation, the work reveals how memories are restructured through time and interaction. Each drawing shows a stage of manipulation, connecting the works through an ongoing process of distortion.
Working with graphite and white gel pens, I use tonal shading, stippling, and precise mark-making to carefully record every detail, including the shadows, edges, and surface textures. The labour-intensive process becomes central to the work itself, reflecting the slow act of revisiting and reshaping memories. By emphasising the photograph as an object, my drawings explore the tension between preservation and deterioration.
My current series focuses on a childhood photograph of myself ripping open a present. This was a deliberate choice for its physicality and emotional tone, creating a parallel between the action of tearing open wrapping paper and the repeated scrunching and flattening of the original photograph through drawing. Through this transformation, the work reveals how memories are restructured through time and interaction. Each drawing shows a stage of manipulation, connecting the works through an ongoing process of distortion.