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Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D , Case SB5, Shelf SH1

My First Lesson in Love

Sculpture
1995 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

My First Lesson in Love is made up from a series of individual images - each a fragment of print or some other material. For example, there are strands of silk from an old scarf that belonged to the artist's mother; rose petals from one of the many bouquets given to her by her boyfriend; a prayer to the Goddess Kali, a great source of inspiration for Ramjoorawon, who is Hindu by religion; fragments of copper, the artist's birth metal. Each is preserved between two layers of Perspex firmly riveted together to form a single block. These blocks can be fitted together in any order, and the order is flexible. The process crosses borders between print, sculpture and book.

The piece celebrates first love. It is conceived as a kind of diary, but one in which the events recalled in each image in each block can be rearranged in their relationship to each other. The artist likes the idea of people being able to take the blocks out of the box and allowing them to evoke aspects of their own lives. They could then arrange the blocks as they wished. The flexibility of arrangement suggests the process of memory: the way in which an event will trigger a chain of memories in a particular order, while another event may trigger something else. Alternatively, the artist suggests the idea that, if we could, we might re-construct our lives so that things turn out differently.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 11 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
  • Print
  • Sculpture
TitleMy First Lesson in Love (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Wood and perspex, with textile, screen printed paper and flower petals
Brief description
My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300

My First Lesson in Love by Natasha Ramjoorawon. boxed set of nine perspex blocks each of same size and shape and each containing a different object, such as a piece of fabric, print, rose petals etc. The blocks can be interlocked to form a three dimensional sculpture. Made 1995

MP3I7B is above MP300
Physical description
A set of 9 (nine) interlocking perspex blocks in a purpose built compartmentalised, lidded, wooden case. The blocks are rectangular and interlocking in any order chosen by the viewer. Each block has sealed within it a fragment of other material such as rose petals, textile fragments, printed paper and cloth
Dimensions
  • Each perspex block, irregular height: 4.6cm
  • Each perspex block, irregular width: 7.5cm
  • Each perspex block depth: 1.2cm
  • Box, outsize height: 10cm
  • Box, outsize width: 22.2cm
  • Outsize depth: 7cm
  • Box, with lid lip height: 10.9cm
Sizes given are of individual blocks, when interlocked the overall construction is of variable size
Production typeUnique
Copy number
unique impression
Credit line
Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund
Subjects depicted
Summary
My First Lesson in Love is made up from a series of individual images - each a fragment of print or some other material. For example, there are strands of silk from an old scarf that belonged to the artist's mother; rose petals from one of the many bouquets given to her by her boyfriend; a prayer to the Goddess Kali, a great source of inspiration for Ramjoorawon, who is Hindu by religion; fragments of copper, the artist's birth metal. Each is preserved between two layers of Perspex firmly riveted together to form a single block. These blocks can be fitted together in any order, and the order is flexible. The process crosses borders between print, sculpture and book.

The piece celebrates first love. It is conceived as a kind of diary, but one in which the events recalled in each image in each block can be rearranged in their relationship to each other. The artist likes the idea of people being able to take the blocks out of the box and allowing them to evoke aspects of their own lives. They could then arrange the blocks as they wished. The flexibility of arrangement suggests the process of memory: the way in which an event will trigger a chain of memories in a particular order, while another event may trigger something else. Alternatively, the artist suggests the idea that, if we could, we might re-construct our lives so that things turn out differently.
Collection
Accession number
E.836-2002

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Record createdJuly 14, 2003
Record URL
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