The Body is the Primary Mode of Perceiving
In my first art class, in college, I spent many hours examining human form. The body is a starting point when we begin to perceive the world and recreate it through our own eyes. The body is a canvas while also being a tool to that transfers what we perceive to canvas. The eyes deduce content, our brain deciphers meaning, and our words and physical movements are the result of us perceiving the world.
Capacity of Objects Serves as Traces of Authentic Experience
Here I stand in front of the iconic Bean of Chicago. Though one cannot hold The Bean anyone can take it with them: with the help of photography. The massive structure serves as ones' authentic experience in the windy city. By looking back at pictures it is easy, for me, to recall memories made in Chicago. I can feel the brisk winter air on my cheek or recall the dress my cousin wore in her wedding, which took place across the street from the iconic structure. Authentic modern Chicago includes deep dish pizza, Chicago dogs, Gangster history, jazz music and The Bean. As humans we leave traces of our authentic experience everywhere we go and we take our experience with us. Everyone's authentic experience is different and beautiful in its own way.
The Souvenir Reduces the Public, the Monumental, and the Three Dimensional into Miniature, that which can be Enveloped
This is the famous lock bridge of Paris. Each miniature lock breaks down a much more monumental scope of meaning. It is here where a couple shared their first kiss or walked by as a newlyweds. The locks represent two people joining together their love of each other to the city of love. Each lock has a story. The locks simplify each individual story into one of love and connection.
Nostalgia Cannot be Sustained Without Loss
This is a very nostalgic picture for me for the fact that Chester, pictured above, was a cat that found me after Hurricane Mathew. Chester's previous family had abandoned him and their house after Mathew. One day the cat walked into the house and decided to adopt my roommates and I. Chester stayed with us for one year until he went missing. Losing Chester created nostalgia that I connect with this photo.
To Have a Souvenir of the Exotic is to Possess both a Specimen and Trophy
Gasperilla is a pirate parade held every year in Tampa Florida. In the picture above, my friends and I show off our trophies from the parade. The more beads, the bigger and more unique the beads the more popular you seem to become. Much like Kings in times long ago showed power through possessions so do the people of Gasperilla. If a king were to show one something they had not seen before their power was said to outshine the power of their guest because they lay claim to possessions far beyond anyone else. Same is true with Gasperilla. People will pull extraordinary stunts to receive beads. Some individuals will even trade alcohol for beads worth a few cents because in that place and that moment the beads represent far more than their plastic and string may suggest. The beads become trophies: the more exotic one's collection results in more pride and popularity on the day of Gasperilla.
