Memory Aid (2002) investigates the numerous houses I lived in while growing up. At first I attempted to draw the houses from memory. However, I quickly realized that my memory was supplemented by photography; in some cases I had no real physical memory of the house, but was only remembering a photograph from a family album. I eventually created drawings from both photographs and memory. The drawings were turned into postcards that were mailed to each of my previous addresses. The cards gave the years I was in residence at the house and asked the current residents to contact me, to aid me in recovering some memories of the house, as well as to give an update of the house in its present condition. The responses consisted of two "returns to sender" from the postal system that indicated the house (or perhaps the street) no longer existed. Reponses from actual residents gave details and descriptions of how the houses have changed from the image in my drawings. One response came – not from a resident of a house I lived in – but from a former neighbor who heard of the project and contacted me to re-establish a connection with my family (hand written excerpt above), The project is displayed in an installation in a timeline format.

I thank all the residents who responded to my postcards.