The work ‘Playing with Memory’ focuses on the issue of history and memory and the complex relationships between these two
categories. Traditional historiography emphasises the consistency of narratives with historical sources, the critique of sources and their
analysis based on specific research methods. In my work, I wanted to show how objects and
archival photographs can be used to construct a narrative that is not necessarily consistent with historical truth, as well as how
memory, understood as an alternative practice to historical writing, is created. Individual stories are usually
far removed from official historical discourse, propaganda or historical politics. The work ‘Playing with Memory’
also refers to Polish-German history and memory, which is marked by war and resentment.
The project consists of five objects. The boxes contain photographs taken recently by my mother in
Germany, archival family photos of a German man who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and
contemporary objects that may suggest interpreting the work as a way of constructing a narrative. The objects take
the form of boxes with souvenirs. In addition, they are accompanied by quotations from Jean-Paul Sartre's book ‘Words’, which
refer to family relationships, questions about fatherhood and the extent to which upbringing shapes our attitudes in adult life.
