On Longing

 

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale."

-On Longing by Susan Stewart

 

     Using comparison is essential to determine the scale of an object.  This image depicts my collection of shark teeth displayed in the palm of my hand.  I placed them in my hand in order to showcase their small size and the difficulty of finding each tiny treasure on the beach. 

 

 

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

-On Longing by Susan Stewart

 

     I always went back to visit my childhood home in Alabama during the fall and winter.  Every trip I would pick up a handful of fall leaves and press them in a book.  I saw these colorful souvenirs as parts of my old life that I could no longer access, especially living in a beach town in Florida.  Thus, they remind me of my past excitement watching the trees change color and experiencing all the seasons, and my now heightened interest and appreciation for it.

 

 

 

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

-On Longing by Susan Stewart

     In this image, I am wearing a butterfly bracelet my mom bought for me while we were shopping in an antique store downtown.  When I look down at my wrist, I am reminded of a beautiful day and the gift of having strong relationships with my family.  In a way, the bracelet is a souvenir of rare time spent with my mother and a reflection of her value to me.  Sometimes it stirs up feelings of longing or disappointment when I neglect to make time for those I love.  

 

"The souvenir is used most often to evoke a voluntary memory of childhood."

-On Longing by Susan Stewart

     The objects I find most helpful in remembering or feeling a sense of longing towards my childhood are old photographs.  In today's world, photos have turned into our souvenirs of the past.  My little brother stepped on this picture frame, containing a picture of my sister and I, which had been sitting on my night stand for years.  Now I think it seems more realistic.  It reflects the beauty and loss of childhood, frailty of life and relationships, good and bad memories, etc.  The broken frame evokes a stronger emotional response from me. 

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

-On Longing by Susan Stewart

     

     This is a photograph of a fragrant rose at the Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina.  I chose this photograph because it represents a beautiful, serene place unavailable to me.  I pressed a flower petal from the Biltmore rose garden and saved it as a souvenir.  The petal reminds me of a pleasant and desirable moment I will never experience again/the same way, so it holds a lot of value to me.