Lasting Impressions 02

LASTING IMPRESSIONS A Souvenir Project

Melisa Hasan

Lasting Impressions The term ‘souvenir’ is a French term, meaning ‘a 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. The meanings ascribed to souvenirs and the act of interpreting and collecting such objects varies from person to person. 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 mass-produced 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 is based upon public participation and them creating tangible connections between themselves and their surroundings. This in turn creates a souvenir and a recording of what they deem to be memorabilia of their time in that particular place. The city provides endless opportunities for investigation and documentation in which 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. The project looks into the relationships between viewer and their surroundings; the various ways in which people create visual links which are then translated into the making of souvenirs.

Created by George Spedding Trafalgar Sqaure, London 22.02.14

Created by George Spedding Trafalgar Sqaure, London 22.02.14

Created by Freya Maynard Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Zalihe Abdi Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Ryan Cottee Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Leyla Taner Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Maria Theodori Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Nick Holder Trafalgar Square, London 22.02.14

Created by Richard Bintley Covent Garden, London 01.04.14

Created by Paddy Holland Covent Garden, London 01.04.14

Created by Melisa Hasan Tower Hill, London 01.04.14

Created by Nicholas Bliss Tower Hill, London 01.04.14

Created by Richard Holland Tower Bridge, London 01.04.14

Created by Lucy Hopkisson Tower Bridge, London 01.04.14

Created by Maisie Amos Tower Hill, London 01.04.14

Created by Maisie Amos Tower Hill, London [INSERT DATE]

Created by Laura Butler Covent Garden, London 01.04.14

Created by Dennis Kong Shaftesbury Avenue, London 01.04.14

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