School of Art, Media, and Technology

Kate Stone (MFA Photo ’13) The Altar: Good Memories of Bad Love

Written by:

share

MFA Photo Alumni Kate Stone will opening her interactive piece The Altar: Good Memories of Bad Love in collaboration with Hannah Schneider at The Museum of Broken Relationships in Los Angeles this Saturday, September 9th

“Even​ ​our​ ​worst​ ​relationships​ ​have​ ​value,​ ​but​ ​we​ ​fixate​ ​on​ ​what​ ​didn’t​ ​work​ ​–​ ​on​ ​the ending.​ ​People​ ​like​ ​to​ ​remind​ ​us​ ​what​ ​went​ ​wrong.​ ​Your​ ​family​ ​says​ ​they​ ​never​ ​liked​ ​him anyway​ ​and​ ​your​ ​friends​ ​say​ ​you’re​ ​more​ ​fun​ ​without​ ​her.​ ​Everyone​ ​assures​ ​you​ ​that​ ​you’re better​ ​off.​ ​You’re​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​throw​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​thing​ ​away,​ ​but​ ​why​ ​forfeit​ ​good​ ​memories​ ​to​ ​a bad​ ​ending?

The​ ​Altar:​ ​Good​ ​Memories​ ​of​ ​Bad​ ​Love​​ ​is​ ​an​ ​interactive​ ​installation​ ​that​ ​provides​ ​a​ ​place to​ ​honor​ ​your​ ​exes​ ​and​ ​think​ ​fondly​ ​of​ ​the​ ​best​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​even​ ​your​ ​worst​ ​relationships.​ ​It’s​ ​a place​ ​to​ ​consider​ ​what​ ​you​ ​learned,​ ​how​ ​you​ ​grew,​ ​the​ ​bond​ ​you​ ​shared​ ​–​ ​a​ ​place​ ​to​ ​think​ ​of breakups​ ​not​ ​as​ ​failures,​ ​but​ ​as​ ​educations.​ ​You​ ​can​ ​box​ ​up​ ​your​ ​worst​ ​memories​ ​and​ ​sacrifice them​ ​to​ ​​The​ ​Altar.​​ ​After​ ​letting​ ​go​ ​of​ ​the​ ​bad​ ​parts,​ ​you’ll​ ​find​ ​it​ ​easier​ ​to​ ​appreciate​ ​the​ ​good.

The​ ​Altar​ ​​is​ ​a​ ​follow-up​ ​to​ ​the​ ​illustrated​ ​book​ ​of​ ​short​ ​stories​ ​titled,​ H​​ow​ ​We​ ​End.​ ​​which chronicles​ ​the​ ​romantic​ ​history​ ​of​ ​an​ ​unreliable​ ​narrator.​ ​The​ ​book​ ​is​ ​about​ ​intimacy​ ​and heartbreak,​ ​but​ ​also​ ​about​ ​the​ ​way​ ​we​ ​communicate​ ​and​ ​the​ ​way​ ​truth​ ​deteriorates​ ​every​ ​time we​ ​tell​ ​a​ ​story.

The​ ​Altar​​ ​opens​ ​on​ ​September​ ​9th​ ​and​ ​will​ ​culminate​ ​in​ ​a​ ​storytelling​ ​event​ ​on​ ​October 1st,​ ​at​ ​which​ ​people​ ​will​ ​recount​ ​the​ ​best​ ​things​ ​about​ ​their​ ​worst​ ​relationships.”

All Rights Reserved © 2024. Parsons School of Design.