I found it astonishing how many mothers gave up their children during the 17 and 1800s. I also found it insane that mothers would not only be willing to give up their children, but why they would if so many of them are dying. If I had a child and knew I couldn't afford to raise them, but I knew how high their chance was of dying, I would much rather take care of them myself so at least they know they're loved before they even have the chance to understand why they were given up in the first place. I was also surprised that out of how many mothers left their children with tokens, such a small amount came back for them. I know that if I left my child somewhere, and there was any hope of getting them back, I would do anything in my power to make sure I could get them again.
Response to On Longing, by Susan Stewart
"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale."
This is a very true statement. We as human believe that trees are tall and insects are small, based upon their size relative to us. If we were the size of an any though, a fly would seem fat to us, and trees would seem like like impossibly large objects that could be explored forever.
"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess both a specimen and a trophy."
Something exotic to us, is something out of the norm for us personally. What is exotic to one person, may not be exotic to another. Some people may think that snow is exotic, but since I'm from upstate NY, snow is incredibly normal for me. Before I moved to Florida though, I had always thought of exotic as warm winters and palm trees, but now I no longer consider these traits "exotic." When we do have something exotic though, on a smaller scale in which you can actually possess it, it is definitely considered a specimen and a trophy. Like a specimen, you're especially cautious when handling it, and observe it whenever you hold it, but like a trophy, you want to show it off to other people who consider it exotic, because you have a piece of something that is interesting and remarkable.
The memento I created holds a memory that I will never forget. It was a memory of pain and betrayal, and is something I don't like to think of often. The memory I recreated was when my dad left my family. He had an alcohol problem, cheated on my mom for a year, and then up and left once she found out. It was the last thing I was expecting, I had always thought that my parents were perfect for each other. The materials I used and the way I used them definitely shows how I felt during that time in my life. I used wood, nails, and fall leaves from home in this memento. The leaves not only represent the fact that it happened in the fall, but the colors also fit perfectly. I used the faded red colors to represent faded love, as well as the anger I felt. The faded yellow used represents the little bit of hope I had that it wasn't true, that my family wasn't really being torn apart and it was all just a nightmare. I used wood and tried to carve it into splinter like pieces. We all know that splinters are painful and annoying, and even once the splinter is removed, it still hurts. This fits well because no matter what happens and how much time has passed, although the initial pain and suffering has passed, but I will never fully recover from what happened. I used nails to hold the pieces together and used many just to stab through the yellow center, which represented my heart and how it felt to be left. Lastly, I burnt the nails, wood and leaves, because after these events I will never be the same, just like the materials- once they were burned, they will never go back to their original form. I will always be scarred from these events, and although I've been able to move past them, they will never be forgotten, and I will forever be a different person because of it.
In progress photos:
Final photos:
Project sketches:
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