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My memories of my childhood are the memories of that, a child. My reflections on my childhood are curious re-interpretations of events and even more curious windows into the roles of only son, baby brother, and heir to the Delaney name.

My relationship to my memories is often filled with uncertainty and nostalgia. I find it troubling when I can’t remember the order of events or when I make fiction fact. I selectively, as most of us do, idealize my past or make joyous and difficult memories more important than they (actual events) were; this makes my interpretations of some of my past suspect.

Artifacts (8 mm films/photos and drawings/letters) of my past, conversations with siblings and close friends provide me with insights into and clarification of my life. I’m finding that my account of early childhood is often based on other’s recollections and not mine.

I’m interested in the genre of the autobiography and how it is represented visually. In earlier works, I explored the genre through performance, text, and sound. In Pool, home movies, seen through the eyes of my parents (and selectively framed by the lens), make me feel like a spectator or participant, depending on if I remember particular events as they are presented (on film). The footage of my family vacations, parties, and holidays is also suspect. I wonder about the actions not recorded during these events. The films encourage a certain type of memory--from someone else’s perspective. The home movie sometimes functions similarly to selective memory; we record and remember what we think is useful.

The audio is a narration of Portrait of My Memoirs, an autobiography written during an earlier performance. My oral account is open for scrutiny; whether the stories are truth, partially true, or products of my imagination is the decision of the listener. The stories range from humorous and adult to serious and self-reflective. The spoken accounts, coupled with family home videos, explore the relationship between childhood memories and adult reflections, personal history and nostalgia, spectator and participant, and visual fact and storytelling.