Timeless, poignant, and avant-garde expressions of the world around us that are set as captured imageries in beautifully hand-crafted decorative tiles, or as its designer describes it, the “Memory Tiles”, unblock a myriad of memoirs, and build up variations of senses depending on who is appreciating each piece at a given time.
Create Surreal Fantasies with Sid’s Memory Blocks
Memory Blocks developed to become individually hand-crafted plaster tiles that measures 6″ × 8″ × 11⁄4″, and are polished to a porcelain-like quality. A cracked finish is left in most of the pieces to create an aged look and feel. This art form has been a part of one of the most ingenious North American artists Sid Dicken’s work that extends over a period of twenty years.
With each block recollections are de-constructed to be re-created again by its new owner. On the essence of these exciting masterpieces, Sid explicitly states that his work represents man’s need for spiritualism and the ephemeral. Embracing what each piece represent, which could be anything depending on the interpretation of the observer at a given moment, enables one to liberate one’s soul from that which is monotonous and the rigid, and brings to life that which is versatile and allusive.
Each of these decorative tiles encapsulates varied symbolisms and are built to call forth multiple interpretations. Those who had been bewildered by one of the many block tiles that the artist has created in limited runs, opts for a particular piece that brings in a specific memory or an emotion that he or she may have associated with the imagery.
These three dimensional memory blocks have been best-sellers ever since they were first discovered in Vancouver by a Hong Kong designer in the early ’90s while visiting the artist’s studio. He took notice of Sid’s personal story boards, and took 400 of them (taking each as individually unique pieces) with him.
The Mind Behind the Blocks
Sid, who was born in 1963 in Prince Rupert, a hardy coastal town in Northern British Columbia, took several inspirations from previous travels as well as memories in each of his creations. However, he particularly points to a European visit in 1987, as crucial event to his artistic development. When the tour ended, Sid transferred to a waterfront studio in the Queen Charlotte Islands. His experience with the elemental beauty of the isolated, fairy-tale like wilderness magnified his vision. He, then, started working with mixed media. We see his works integrated with materials such as metal, wire, mud, as well as whale bones recovered from the Islands’ beaches.
While at the Island, he taught himself to weld. The skill that he gained from this enabled him to explore jewelry creation. A collection of his works have been featured in several fashion events in Vancouver. This is where his home studio is located and where most of these memory blocks are made and exhibited.
Blocks for Your Bucks
These elegant pieces that made him internationally known are collected by names like Cher, Elton John, Sting, Bono, Cher, as well as the Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Any of these exquisite work of art can be yours. Consider it as one of your options for the next gift-giving activity. Perhaps incorporate the designs in your home or office with any of these art pieces. Would you be considering any of these?
