A Memory I Can’t Quiet Remember installation + pamphlet + video
in collaboration with Marla Chinbat, Coleman Earnest, and Nathan Groves

On July 17th, 2023 the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presented “What Was, What Is,” a group show in response to the public exhibition “Public Enemy,” a retrospective of the artist Gary Simmons. 

The installation “A Memory I Can’t Quite Remember” interpreted the prompt as a remembrance of one’s childhood. It featured two sculptures “Bed Of Comfort“ and “It’s All A Blur” designed by myself, and a score written and produced by Nathan Groves, Marla Chinbat, and Coleman Earnest. The score features special covers by Gibson Chidel, Joe Glass, Nathan Herrera, Cole Burrel, Kylie Gaughan, Babyteeth members, Belle Petajan and Sasha Uvarova, and Ixmati Estefanía-Walker.


Promotional Video

The promotional video for the installation was directed and edited by Marla Chinbat. Our goal was to show prospective visitors how the work was created and set the tone for the theme of forgotten memories. The video shows the acetone ink transfer used to create the sculptures and also features an excerpt from the video playing inside the sculpture “It’s All A Blur”.

The second promotional video was directed and edited by Mathew Sharifi.


Pamphlet Design
The pamphlet/zine design for the installation was my first formal exploration of zine design. It was meant to be used so visitors could see what was playing on the television. I was interested in using both the front and back covers and the inner covers to my advantage. The inner covers present a full image that can be viewed by viewing the pamphlet straight on and pinching the inner pages together. Creating a disjointed image that evokes a forgotten memory.

When the pamphlet was displayed at the MCA, they were laid out backward and forward side by side to create a herd of ponies galloping across the table.




© Jacob Romero, 2024can you feel it too?