“The Story of Mimit” was part of the “Spectacle: Art and Design Graduation Show 2013” 10-27 April 2013 at the Chancellor Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Awang Mohamad Azmi’s art installation utilises photo manipulation to transport himself into various pictures from his childhood.
He trawled through photographs decades old, scanning them, selecting clothing to match, interacting with them through poses, and then adding himself on Adobe Photoshop.
Azmi’s work touches on the integral role photography plays in capturing events in our everyday life. He mentions how photographs can be used to recall past events completely forgotten. Looking at old photographs are another way of understanding identity but can also create a sense of loss.
In the interview Azmi explained how his attachment working in a school lead him to the idea for, “The Story of Mimit”. He also mentions his childhood and the attempt at reconstructing that feeling of innocence in his art installation.
Azmi’s Artist Statement
Sometimes I miss being a kid for not worrying about going to school, not caring about the world around me, but – just having fun in playing with my toys. It is my intention to arouse audiences with acute nostalgia for their childhood through my installation of digital altered images.
My installation, titled “The Story of Mimit”, may help audiences escape from worrying about all their present personal issues, such as aging, relationship, marriage and work.
My project also be an installation art, transforming the surrounding into my childhood time. I cannot visualize the final installation but it seems like the world that I am living now in the present and past when I was a kid merging together.
I thought it would be interesting to present a single set of ideas through many different media. Digital images on the wall with background so this was completely controlled world I made. This installation was inspired by my bedroom during my childhood time.
My cousin and I are very close because we grew up together. His parent’s house was very near to ours. Almost every week in our childhoods, we had sleepover watching movies and playing games until midnight. That is the reason that he always remembers the time when we were kids.
The best thing about being a kid is that I beg my parents to buy me toys all the time. It’s hard to believe that now everyone of my family members or relatives has grown up. Some of them are working while some have already married. My cousin and I are always busy with our own lives and are not as close as before. Time has passed so fast.
When I was 3 or 4 years old, my look was cute and naive. Psychologically, I miss being pampered by my family members. Whenever I was sad or had a bad day, my parents would be there for me unconditionally.
However, when I become a grown-up, I realize that I will lose someone I love in my life eventually and I cannot do anything about it. From my childhood pictures, it seems that there was no sad in my childhood but surrounded by happiness.
Through this art project I have discover or understood myself in a different way than regular memory. It is my intention to display my altered childhood photos in an installation setting with the idea of creating my childhood world back to present world. My art is about my wish to be a kid again, especially when life becomes tough I just want to escape from this reality.
When Jerudong Park was the best place for a kid to be, when the only movies you could see were Tom and Jerry and when the only time mom and dad gave you a hug and kiss. I want to go back to no hurt and no pain just laughter when everyone always live happily ever after.