Memory Collective V
The Memory Collective is the recreation of a project I found on the internet one lazy afternoon at my office. The mission of the Memory Collective is to explore the nature of memory, specifically the act and art of remembering: how we do (and don't) put back together those fragments and shards, those fleeting images and lasting impressions, that reside in our memories. At the start of our project, participants each submit a memory fragment. Each fragment was then passed on to another participant to interpret through the lens of their own memory. Our memories are published as a series in this newsletter. I encourage you to notice what these memories bring up for you: images, emotions, stories, regrets, earworms. What exists on the periphery of our memory? If you missed them, here are the first , second, third, and fourth installments.
Jean Swintek remembers Nina Hoover’s memory:
The anonymous memory you sent could have been written by any one of our children. Grandpap and I wanted to give our children memorable experiences, certainly more than a week at the beach: interesting and informative, while still pleasurable. It doesn't matter who is the author, I've learned you cannot create another person's memories Our memories are ours and ours alone and reflect only us.
This memory leaves out details such as age, time of day, etc., which impact interpretation because a young child or teenager would certainly differ. So, why remember a fleeting moment in a week chock full of new sights and sounds and cultures. Too much overload? Too much family? Too much change? Or none of the above. Is it simply a 'feeling' of well-being, being comfortable in one's own skin, at peace in the universe, complete and secure.
I'm assuming it is dusk, dawn, or the dark of night: a quiet time when only birds provide the music, when all seems right with the world and love abides in all. This is a memory worth hanging onto.
May it be so.
Nina Hoover’s memory:
When growing up, our family took vacations to historic places in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and a few northernmost southern states. Each year we would visit different places. My memory fragment is when we were on one of these trips, all I remember of the trip is staying at a motel on the second floor and walking outside on the balcony area. I don't recall where we were or what sites we were visiting…