May 2013
Nostalgia Tower reflects on the apex roof as a symbol of physical and psychological shelter. This theory was developed further upon reading The Poetics of Space, in which Gaston Bachelard describes the roof as a physical refuge from rain and sun which man fears, and as a comforting retreat for the mind. Bachelard describes the first home as a humans first universe, within which our unconscious is developed, for this reason we return to the first home in dreams and daydreams in search of comfort. This was of particular interest, since I often dream of my first home, usually when experiencing high levels of stress. The process of climbing a ladder through a loft hatch is in itself nostalgic, and the viewer is transported from the pressured gallery environment into the sanctuary of an apex roof. Reduced to its most basic meaning, Nostalgia Tower reflects a desire to return to a safe time and place.
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sarah jane hodge 