The family tree of Mr Joseph Story
How to fit a lifetime in your pocket
How to fit a lifetime in your pocket
Over Christmas, the London College of Communication tutors set us a curious brief: we were assigned a name at random from the annals of history, with instructions to produce a pocket-sized masterpiece based on our research into the person. I got Joseph Story - a man (semi) famous for his role in the abolition of slavery in the US and the part he played in the 1841 Amistad trial (as dramatised by Spielberg). I read a great deal about his legal works, but in the course of my research discovered one quote from his personal letters far more telling than the rest...
"I fly to business to stifle my recollections of the past,
and I find what I have always believed,
that employment is the only real relief under the severe losses of human life".
The 'severe losses' of which he spoke were the deaths of five of his seven children in as many years, all aged 10 or less. Of the seven, only one survived past the age of 31.
I wanted to create a keepsake in the tradition of sailors' Valentines, framed locks of hair, ladies' favours and other such beloved 'treasures' of the past, to be carried by the recipient to his own grave...
"I fly to business to stifle my recollections of the past,
and I find what I have always believed,
that employment is the only real relief under the severe losses of human life".
The 'severe losses' of which he spoke were the deaths of five of his seven children in as many years, all aged 10 or less. Of the seven, only one survived past the age of 31.
I wanted to create a keepsake in the tradition of sailors' Valentines, framed locks of hair, ladies' favours and other such beloved 'treasures' of the past, to be carried by the recipient to his own grave...
