Water memories as a personal project came about from a prompt from a game played at a dinner night amongst a group of fellow projectionists in Portland, OR. The game focused on topics of death and dying, asking its players to respond sincerely but without too much forethought. Questions were asked such as "what was your first experience with death?" and "what do you imagine or hope to see within your last moments of life?", or something of the like. The latter question was directed towards me. My mind at first was blank, then quickly flooded with all of the usual things we're told happens in the crossing over from life to afterlife -- seeing your whole life play out in front of you like a movie in x5 speed, etc. After a moments pause I heard myself say "I want to be reminded of all of my water memories".
I have been taking videos of bodies of water for years, continually drawn to the biggness or smallness, the sounds, the motions. After answering this way, I began pursuing the documentation of these memories more intentionally. I was both committed to the notion and still grappling with a fear of forgetting in general (see Memory Field).
Exhibited here is a catalogued mapping of water memories.