Sidewall, Memory Wallpaper

Memory Wallpaper is a self-adhesive vinyl wallcovering designed by Cynthia Hathaway. The design was created as a proposal submitted to a “cabin-themed” exhibition organized by Mother, a Canadian product and graphic design firm. The theme of the exhibition reflected one of Canada’s most enduring icons.
Hathaway’s paper has a walnut-grain pattern with cut-outs spaced throughout the roll add to the nostalgic, cabin-themed story. The shapes of the cut-outs are things that would frequently be found in log cabins, such as lanterns and oars for a canoe. When the paper is placed over old wallpaper, the cutouts through to the old paper create an automatic link between past and present. Hathaway believes it is wasteful to forget the past when we can still make use of it. The wallpaper is intended for the global “do-it-yourself” market—the instructions are written in 13 languages.
We currently have several samples of self adhesive wallcoverings in the collection. The first self-adhesive wallcovering was developed by Con-tac brand, an American company in 1954; Hathaway’s design shows a new use of an old product.

Sidewall, Memory Wallpaper; Designed by Cynthia Hathaway (Canadian, b. 1965); Netherlands; adhesive vinyl with cut-outs; Overall: 1465 x 70 cm (48 ft. 3/4 in. x 27 9/16 in.); Gift of Cynthia Hathaway; 2004-10-1