Note:

After a recent shift in research focus, my current work addresses the relationship between the present, the past and ultimately the future in terms of shifting cultural and physical borders.

As our concepts of culture and place become increasingly homogenous, the desire to ‘return’ to some origin can lead to the reemergence of an authoritarian brand of nationalism. Mourning what has passed and yearning for its return seem to be ubiquitous aspects of change; where the past is often an idealized version of 'official' histories mixed with wishful projections towards an imaginary future.

I explore nationalism in the context of Hungary with a focus on late 19th century folk traditions as a starting point (1880-1920). In terms of its borders, 1920 marks the last major event in Hungarian history when the country lost 70% of its territory. My base materials comprise of antique ‘folk weavings’ from this period, and the artifacts are appropriated and reframed to highlight the concept of loss issuing from cultural and geographic deterritorialization and reterritorialization.