Zazou Roddam's exhibition BedRock explores the ephemeral nature of memory and the gradual erosion of visual records.

The centerpiece of the exhibition consists of column-like sculptures that house thousands of negative slide films. These structures represent a process of gradual disappearance, as the material presence of the slides is destined to diminish over time through compression, exposure to light, and heat-induced condensation. The metal frameworks mirror the proportions of the slides, transforming them into an anonymous media archive where captured moments become private once again.

Roddam's sculptures embody a dual state of life and death, preservation and decay interwoven within a single form. Structured to resemble filing systems or sediment layers, they act as quiet ruins of memory where the desire to preserve becomes indistinguishable from the act of letting go. The artist conceives these pieces not as fixed archives but as entities in constant flux, dissolving, shifting, and transforming over time.

In selecting the slides and scanning the majority to keep them as digital records, Roddam intentionally avoided images containing people, focusing instead on cities, nature, historical events, public spaces, private interiors, and other subjects that speak to collective rather than individual experiences. This approach explores how memory can persist without identity and how personal archives can dissolve into collective ones.

The artist's response to the gallery space and found materials forms a crucial element of the exhibition. On the second day of the residency, the discovery of a deceased bird on the gallery floor became a poignant symbol, inspiring the inclusion of bird  imagery throughout the show. This serendipitous encounter underscores the exhibition's themes of mortality and renewal. 

— Written by Gea Politi