On Longing

"The souvenir exists as a sample of the now distant experience that only the object can evoke."

The souvenir that first came to mind when I read this sentence was my class ring from high school. While high school was not that long ago for me, since being in college it feels as if that was a whole different life. The class ring is a reminder of my accomplishments and when I look at it, it also brings back all the experiences that helped me get to where I am today.

"The souvenir speaks to a context of origin through a language of longing."

This bear was kept in the spare room at my grandparents’ house where I would sleep when we visited them. I always knew that the bear would be there so after my grandpa passed away, I kept the bear because it was something that I had placed comforting memories in. While he was not in the same place that I associated these feelings with the idea of still having the bear present created the feeling of it being a souvenir.

"The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for desire to be generated."

Traveling to New York had always been a dream of mine and in high school, I was able to go through my band program to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. New York is not a place that has been readily available to me since this opportunity presented itself but after going once, I still have the desire to go back and experience more of the big city.

"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the 3-D into the miniature, that which can be enveloped by the body."

This brick has a painted picture on it of Rainbow Row from Charleston, SC. This is a miniature version of the actual houses that make up Rainbow Row which is a very popular tourist attraction. The brick provides an accurate representation while also allowing the scene to be made portable. 

"Nostalgia cannot be sustained without loss."

The phrase “sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” is how I translate this sentence. I associate this sentence with the picture of me and my grandpa because he passed away when I was still young, so I do not have a lot of memories of being with him. The memories that I do have of him are all happy and made me feel loved and that feeling of nostalgia may not be so present if things were different.