My Material Memory
After reading this week’s articles, I began to wonder: Can we craft memory through materials? Certainly we use materials to document memory. But what about creating memory—keeping memories, or parts of memories, that give us joy, and discard the ones that don’t? When we do away with the world that surrounds the memory, focusing in on one specific moment in time, place, and affect, we have essentially recreated our memory, especially for those others who may have the chance to view the compilation, too.
My photo essay this week consists of collages of my crafted memories. Interestingly enough, they don't "speak" the same memories in their photographs as they do when I’m physically holding or seeing them. They’re all just things, but together they represent "time, place, and affect" as I want to remember them to be.
A collection of childhood toys, each of which holds a special place on a bookshelf or by my bed.
Handmade pottery from Brazil that I’ve never used but love to look at.
My film camera equipment and old leather case (I don’t even know where to buy film anymore, but I won’t give this away ever).
A selection of childhood books that I now get to read to my own child. Why is my voice not nearly as soothing as my own mother's?
Memories from my graduation from Trinity University.
Photographs were taken with a Fujifilm XT10 and edited using Adobe Photoshop in camera RAW for light, saturation, and sharpness.
In no way am I attempting to recreate or reproduce an image of currency in the last photograph. (The federal government tells me I need this disclaimer if I take a picture of cold hard cash.)
