Seminar 4 I Think

Thursday 21st January 2021

For this project, the memento project, I have decided to create one final outcome. Instead of creating multiple/various pieces of work, I decided I wanted to just go down the route of creating one final piece. I need to do more research on everything but this is what I have decided to go with for now. I looked at some mementos in general but I think I need to look more deeply into the subject.

The rationale for the project is as follows (taken from the project brief) :

"Memento ‘Among the millions of objects people encounter in a lifetime, few become such reminders of people, places or events’ (Petrelli, 2008) Objects we keep often hold a special meaning, perhaps a memento reminds you of a person, place or event in your life. Some mementos are linked to memories and stories that we are happy to share, and some are private. Mementos can be both physical and digital. A memento is often linked to feelings of nostalgia, inevitably the memento reminds us of the past which can lead to feelings that have sentimental value, this can be either a happy or unsettling experience or both. So, what does memento mean to you? Traces of Identity A trace is a mark, a sign, and the existence or passing of something. When linked to identity it connects traces to an individual, a place, or object that creates a greater meaning and a closer affinity. Traces of identity can be both physical and digital as individually create connections that span both physical and digital space. Physical traces are the objects, artefacts, souvenirs, photographs and collections that link our memories to past events, people and places, whereas, digital identities are made up of the sum of our online profiles and correspond to what we say about ourselves to create a profile that defines who we are. Digital identity can be defined as both the collection of traces (writings, audio/video content, forum messages, sign-in details, etc.) that we leave behind us, consciously or unconsciously, as we browse online (Ertzscheid 2016). This project is designed to open up the possibilities for research leading to a personal response to subject matter. It also allows for the continuation of experimentation with processes and technique, however the emphasis is placed on the imaginative response to the project growing from the research. The subject is intentionally broad offering the potential for personal reflection, research and response, paving the way for methods of idea evolution required for the Final Major Project in Stage 3."

Pretty interesting. Just from the project brief and the presentation I got a little idea that I might be considering going with. It is not fixed but I thought it was a pretty interesting idea to explore:

A narrative that takes place in the digital realm, perhaps considering what type of artefacts we will leave behind for future generation to look back on. For example there are no longer as many letters, post cards and physical photographs as in the past and so I sort of wonder how the future generations will look back at us and see how we lived and communicated because it's not like they will have a collection of our text messages and things like that to look at because that is how we primarily communicate nowadays.