Evidence of a Memory

From the simplest surge of nostalgia to a flashback to lesser days, objects can profoundly activate memories. A thing possesses the ability to retain latent information about a person, a place, an event, history, and much more. Mementos, keepsakes, memorabilia, reminders, heirlooms, and souvenirs signify particular objects with these unique powers. As a maker and researcher I examine how objects are able to maintain the presentness of the past. I am interested in how individuals and cultures throughout time maintain the power of stories, histories, and memory through making and manipulation of existing material culture. Some items become inextricably tied to specific histories. The earring in the photograph was retrieved from the site of an accident and maintains its dialogue about the past through its place in a carefully labeled evidence bag. With or without evidentiary labeling, objects can still carry meaning forward. Examining the potential of objects is not only for the conservator, historian, and artist; it is a task for us all