Artist research- Christian Boltanski

What immediately draws me to Christian Boltanski's work is his use of clothing as a vessel for memory. He often uses piles of worn clothes, photographs and found objects to represent people who are absent. Although my work is very different visually, I connect to the idea that everyday objects can hold powerful emotional meaning. A child's clothing is much more than fabric. It carries memories of milestones, first steps, sleepless nights and moments that have long since passed.

Christian Boltanski, No Man's Land, 2010. Installation comprising discarded clothing, crane, lights and sound.

Boltanski's work made me think differently about the baby clothes I am using in my own sculptures. Not all of the clothes belong to my children. Many have been donated by friends, family members and other parents. While I have a deep emotional attachment to my own children's clothes, I do not have the same connection to the donated items. However, as I sorted through them, I found myself imagining the memories they might hold for the families who once owned them. I would notice a stain on a t-shirt or signs of wear on a babygrow and wonder about the story behind it. Was it worn on a family day out? Was it a favourite outfit? Did the stain come from a first birthday cake or a messy afternoon of play? Although the memories are not mine, the garments still carry traces of a child's life.

This has made me realise that clothing can hold meaning whether or not we know the person who wore it. Boltanski's work highlights this idea, transforming ordinary garments into powerful reminders of lives lived and moments passed. In my own work, the baby clothes become symbols of childhood and growth, representing not only my children but the shared experiences of parenthood.

I am an extremely nostalgic person, which makes this project particularly emotional for me. Among the clothing I have collected are the blankets I brought my son and daughter home from hospital in. I have not used them in the sculptures yet because they hold so much sentimental value. Part of me wants to preserve them exactly as they are, while another part of me feels they belong within the artwork because they represent the very beginning of my journey into motherhood. This tension between holding on and letting go sits at the heart of the project and is something that Boltanski's work has encouraged me to reflect upon.