On Longing

On Longing by Susan Stewart

Sentence #1

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale"

Artist Statement

This is a photo of myself at Disneyland this past January at the entrance to the Monsters Inc. attraction. I chose this photo for this quote because it shows how the Disney artists design to make everyone feel like a kid in their parks. Any time I see an object that makes me feel like a child again, I am immediately attracted to it and embrace the whimsy design that was created. 

Sentence #2

"Capacity of objects to serve as traces of authentic experience"

Artist Statement

These are a few postcards and a lanyard card from a trip I took to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2011. I chose this photo to go with the quote because I lost all of my photos from this trip and they are the only souvenirs I was able to keep. In a way, they are a reminder that I did indeed take that trip to Hong Kong Disneyland and I have a few memories that still relate to the souvenirs.

Sentence #3

"The souvenir reduces the public, the monumental, and the three-dimensional into the miniature that which can be enveloped by the body"

Artist Statement

This is a photo of a keychain (now broken) I bought at Walt Disney World a few years ago. It brings back memories of my very first trip to Disney World where this sign hangs above the entrance, welcoming guests to the Magic Kingdom. It was a very emotional moment for me as I was 19 years old on my first trip with my mom who had always promised to take me to Disney World when I was very young. We never had enough money to make the trip until after I joined the Navy and was able to pay for us both to make the trip. This souvenir transports me to that memory whenever I look at it or hold it in my hand.

Sentence #4

"To have a souvenir of the exotic is to possess both a specimen and a trophy"

Artist Statement

This photo consists of a pile of money I collected from my deployment in 2011 where I travelled to Japan, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Thailand, and Guam. Although this money is technically hardly worth anything in United States Dollars, it is worth a lot more than USD to myself because it reminds me of my time on deployment and the very real possibility of never visiting those exotic places again.

Sentence #5

"The place of origin must remain unavailable in order for desire to be generated"

Artist Statement

This is a photo of my mom the day after I was born, my first day at home. I was raised in this house for the first ten years of my life and a few years ago I was informed the house was torn down. I chose this photo for this quote because I realized I took the house for granted when I lived there and I know now I will never be able to show my future children where I grew up.