proposal The term ‘souvenir’ is a French word, meaning ‘memory’. Hence, souvenirs remain as a reminder of perhaps a place, an event or even a person that revives a particular memory or moment in the past; that serve as a link to the past allowing them to invade everyday life. Souvenirs are everywhere you look, such as in popular tourist spots in which they cater to visitors passing through who are looking for memorable trinkets or gifts to take away with them. It holds a memory that is inherently personal, in which it says as much about their owner as they do about the place they represent and the meanings ascribed to souvenirs and the act of interpreting and collecting such objects is varied. Yet, it is hard to imagine anything more banal than the offers of the manufactured memory trade – the mass market souvenir industry. These traditional souvenirs are commonly massproduced and insincere with no real quality or craftsmanship behind them. For some it is an ironic statement, in that the purchase of a mass-produced, ‘fun’ souvenir is a cheap reminder of a place/event. For others, souvenirs are objects that stand as touchstones of meaning – constructing ones sense of self. They can elicit particular memories of experience and in turn act as a medium in negotiating a sense of place, encompassing the past within the present.
The project looks into the relationships between viewer and their surroundings; the various ways in which people create tangible connections that can then be translated into the making of souvenirs. Objectives - Get the public involved in creating their own souvenirs of London - Use London as a tool to create the souvenirs - Capture the essence/a piece of London through the souvenirs
1. Lasting impressions (clay imprints) This part of the project will be based upon public participation and them creating tangible connections between themselves and their environment/surroundings. Overall, the general public will then be creating souvenirs and recordings of what they deem to be memorabilia of their time within the city. The city provides endless opportunities for investigation and documentation. The imprints heavily rely on the public creating sincere pieces that translates and encourages a connection between the city and its visitors, whilst capturing and highlighting details within a particular place. Outcomes - A collection of clay imprints
- Book of documentation? - A blog to keep record of imprints displaying a photo of the imprint, photograph of person and details such as their name and place of imprint
imprints (a selection)
2. sound
3. photography
Another part to my project is to record and collate a collection of sounds all around London such as train conversations, underground sounds, bus sounds, the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, sounds of walking, sounds in parks etc.
A photograph is a common medium to document significant events and places for future reference. The photograph highlights the relationship of ‘seeing’ and the role of the viewer in which a photograph in some ways is profoundly key in the scenario of tourism, as it is a representation, perceived and visualised though a persons viewpoint – a witnessing of a site which extends beyond the everyday context of home. In serving as a keepsake, a photograph becomes the souvenir; it is what the person wants to initially remember. I have based this exploration on disposable cameras which is heavily reliant on the process of using a film, which results in the negative version of the photograph. This acts as a momento, a lasting souvenir that can be further reproduced to any desire. IDEA: The idea behind this exploration is to capture London through someone else’s viewpoint hence a member of the public will be given a disposable camera in which they can capture any aspect of their surroundings. This explorations works around the idea that each and every persons perspective differs to the next person. The camera lens acts a medium in creating a lasting souvenir of that particular place and time. For example, a camera given to two members of the public in the same place such as Trafalgar Square – one may take a landscape photo capturing the national portrait gallery, and the other may capture the finer details within that same building.
4. london 'slang' map Looking at the relationship between viewer and their surroundings, I wanted to create a keepsake that engulfed the person within their time in London. London slang reflects the diverse ethnic and cultural makeup of the city’s population hence I wish to revisit the notion of incorporating London slang within the London map. I’m interested in harnessing the communicative power of slang with visual language through the replacement of road/street names of the London map.