Max Hertz

I first learned about the idea of a collective memory in the context of the Chinese “Century of Humiliation;” that a body of people, a multi-generational one in this instance, could remember a period of time and an experience in such a way that it sets a lens and a perspective for everything to follow. Ever since, I have been enamored by the idea of a different collective memory - one not of a time, but of the contented experience of being a child. I think about the act of play and how it shapes our early understandings and interactions of and with space, object, and body. And I think about the way toys and educational objects elicit physical and visual interaction as well as create a sense of permanence. My interest in making, the process of building, assembly, and material are all rooted in this shared memory of learning and playing. While I am fascinated by the way we learn as children, I am also engaged with the fact that the process changes at some point. In the interest of pushing back on this eventual shift, my work looks to tap into the visual language and functions of play objects like: blocks, jungle gyms, and puzzles. My practice and the development of a form language looks to mimic and, in a way, return to the state of learning as well as prolong the collective memory of play