HEIRLOOMS
HEIRLOOMS Heirlooms, explores sentimental possessions through generations of family members. The unique aspects of every family, create different outlooks on the value of items, and what is important to them. Without family heirlooms, many physical and mental memories would be lost, as the items are kept to evoke old stories. What, and how much a family keeps depends on the dynamics of the family. Items such as newspaper cuttings, polaroid photographs, outfits and toys are all memorable items that family members classically keep. Traditionally, a couple would stay together, in one home for much of their lives. Having a settled home, meant many heirlooms could be preserved or used. In modern society, people commonly move between different settlements, and divorce rates are high. This causes heirlooms to be disposed of to make space, or lost in transition. When a family is separated due to circumstances such as divorce, the emotion towards an item can become negative, creating a more complex dynamic towards keeping the heirlooms. The different attitudes between families has a large impact on the disparity between types of heirlooms, as some may possess expensive dinner services or rings, whereas other families may value items such as memorabilia from holidays or a teddy that comforts them. Heirlooms are often left in cabinets on display, not being used, in fear of being damaged. It raises questions on sentimentality, compared with practicality. Is it worth keeping an expensive dinner service that will never be used, that will eventually end up in an antique shop? What do the newspaper cuttings mean to family members, 4 generations down the line when no one can recognise who is in the image? Through Volume 1 and 2, the photographs and accompanying text explore heirlooms between 2 sides of a family. Divorced parents, with very different family characteristics. The book presents ideals on why items are important, how items are kept and the variation that can be seen between 1 family, that has always had different outlooks on life. The text is presented in 1st person, as the family member who possesses the item has spoken directly to me about the heirloom. There are no names or labels attached to the speech, as the reader should interpret the text objectively. The text allows the reader to reflect on their own heirlooms, think of their own family members, and evoke memories.
FRIDGE MAGNETS My mum, she had a fridge magnet collection which filled up the whole top area of the fridge and they were all from different areas all over the world, half of which she had never been too. She would collect fridge magnets from car boot sales and people that were giving them away. Plus, family members would bring them back for her from abroad, so it made my mum look really well travelled, and she loved it.
There’s a few new ones. Your mum fetched back back that one from Cuba. Ryan got me this one from Dublin. God knows what one is the oldest. Your nan picked a lot up from car boot sales. I’m gonna buy another fridge so I’ve got another fridge door.
PLANTS My mums pride and joy were her plants. She had a little garden when she lived in Kingsbridge, which is just outside the front bay window. She won the Kingsbridge in bloom competition because she looked after her garden. When she went to the beach, she would come home with stones from the beach, and she also collected shells wherever she went, which you could see outside her front window. She loved her plants, and always made sure they were well watered. She would be having a right go at grandad now if she could see that he hasn’t watered them for ages and they’re all wilted.
Because my mum loved plants so much, she had a variety of different sized and shaped plant pots. Whenever she went to a car boot sale and saw one that she fancied, she would add it to her collection. The year before she died she gave me two of them. So I always make sure I have a nice plant in them. They are really pretty actually and they’re not ones you’d be able to buy now either. Only if you were looking in a car boot sale. They’re really decorative ones.
I water them once a month. Don’t know if that’s right or not. All the plants were out front, I had too move them, they said it was a safety hazard. I threw some away. I can put the big one back out when they’ve done the carpets.
WIND CHIMES My mum had a collection of wind chimes, and she used to hang them on her coat hooks always by the front door. So whenever you opened the front door there would be an almighty chime like you were next to about 10 churches. And also out in the garden when the wind blew, all you could hear is my mums wind chimes.
Honestly since your nan died, I haven’t moved anything.
The sound of a wind chime is comforting for all of us, it makes us feel like she is still here. It’s the sound of love in our family.
DINNER SERVICE Our family is so big, we are all over the place. We probably eat all together once a year, so there’s not a lot of special plates or cutlery for those occasions. We’d have to have a separate room to keep a dinner service for our whole family. It just keeps getting bigger.
We had the cherry set when we all lived in the family home. It was on display in the kitchen. When we divorced, I gave it to your Nan and Grandad. They didn’t take great care of it though, so it’s all stained now. I use it for my painting. No one wants to drink out of a tea stained mug. But it’s pretty, so I keep it on display with my brushes and pencils in. I use the tea pot and sugar jar sometimes, you
I always had my eye on this tea set. And my Gran knew it.
My nan gave the salt and pepper pots to my mum. When I moved in to my flat, mum passed them down to me. It’s nice to have something practical passed down. But I was concerned about having them, I didn’t want to break something that meant a lot to my mum. I’ve dropped them a few times, they seem pretty unbreakable, which is good.
The pastry blender and the rolling pin, my mum gave to me because I’ve always been known for never being able to make my own pastry. And she said, try this because you’ll always be able to make your own pastry. It’s got a wooden handle and 4 metal prongs, and you’re supposed to rub it through your flour and margarine and blend your fat with the flower. And apparently, it makes perfect pastry. The rolling pin, she gave to me because I never had a rolling pin.
The lace table cloth, my mum gave to me. I think she had it from when she was on holiday somewhere, and its special. It’s on my dining table.
PRECIOUS MEMORIES My nephew got married 18months ago. He had a collection of roses around the wedding cake. When they cleared up from the wedding, my mum went around and collected up a lot of the roses that were left. She took them back to the hotel in her handbag, and she was surrounded by bees and wasps because they were all attracted to the sugar case. She spent the whole day fighting off the wasps that were trying to get in her handbag. She gave me one of them, and I keep it next to things that she gave to me.
The drinks cabinet was my nans. She had it in her front room, which was a room that was never used when they lived there. It was more like a display room. And in the back cabinet was things she collected from holidays when her children were younger. Inside that cabinet was a tea service, which she also gave to me. She said to me ‘When I’m gone you can have this.”
Most of the glass things we got from newton abbot market. Your mum liked those square ones so we bought her back one each time. ÂŁ5 each I think they were. They were her pride and joy, Your nans.
Nan lived for bingo. There’s always a bingo pen in the flat if you’re short. Every Christmas the family facetimes, and we play a round of bingo together in memory of nan. Her commitment to the game is definitely a fond memory.
The teddy was bought for me by my daughter when she went to stay with her gran when she was young, when I was working. She bought it back, and I’ve always kept it in my bedroom ever since. It says ‘Mum of the year’ and it has pearls on, and I like pearls. That teddy has been in every house move but always stayed in my bedroom. It’s also been to Cuba with me on a charity cycle. But its home again, all nice and clean and back in my bedroom.