What to remember a loved one with?
Something he used.
His hat.
A black leather hat, wears make it old but do not bring it down. Two metal chains run from the left side to the right. At the top of the front is a small golden statue, with three animals standing on a globe: A lion, a dinosaur whose head and tail both look like arrows, and an eagle with thick legs and webs between toes.
His lighter.
A shiny metal Bentley lighter, short and wide unlike most lighters, engraved in black: “Randy Sauder.”
Something of her.
Her hair.
A lock of hair, braided, tied at the top with a pink ribbon bow so that it makes a loop.
A lock of hair, twisted like a Chinese knot, preserved under the glass of a brooch or a necklace.
A wreath made of hair, like a pair of antlers, at the tip of each branch the hair twists into a flower, stringing a bead; the untwisted hair makes leaves.
Photos.
In a loose dress with puff sleeves and lace collar, she sits on a chair with carved back, and supports her right arm on the edge of a table. Her hair is divided in the middle, each side making a braid tied to the back. She looks serious, like other women photographed then usually are.
He stands in front of blinds, tanned, sturdy, and hairy, with beard and moustache on the face. Naked except for the leather hat, he holds a cigarette between his index finger and middle finger, looking straight at the camera.
Something he made.
His drawing.
He drew on the envelop: A redhead lady in a green dotted dress and on blue heels, another with hair tied up on top of her head and wearing big earrings. “Post office box 70025,” He wrote, all in bold, in bright colors, and in a pop font, “Houston Texas.”
His letter.
He typed over the edge of the paper because of excitement. He talked about Sawdust Festival, this art event he had been participating for sixteen summers, about his own art being “commercial,” supporting his living and allowing him to do serious work on the side. And he talked about turning 65: “I’m like you, I’m finding out I’m not immortal.”
Relics as Remembrance
All these seven objects in the exhibition are “relics” of people passed away. In them, remembrance takes shape in the material, or as David Wojnarowicz would put it,
“I have loved the way memorials take the absence of a human being and make them somehow physical.”
Looking at the hat, Gary would remember how Randy used to wear it when it got cold outside, or even just at home when he wanted to look good and pose for a photo. Reading Bob’s letter, David would remember Bob’s gingerly enthusiasm: He typed some letters outside the page, yet he carefully asked if David would like it before he drew on the envelop.
It is almost always so: We rest our memories in physical objects. I have been keeping diaries since grade one, seeing it as a form of “primary source.” In my collection, there is the beer cap from the first bar I went to, a leaf my friend mailed to me from Evanston to Annapolis, and a drop of blood of my favorite teacher on a glass mounting from my freshman lab.
Keeping Relics as a Maybe Futile Battle Against Forgetting
While we remember with these emotionally-charged objects, there is one fact impossible for us to overlook: They are by no means a reproduction of the original memory.
Happenings are impossible to keep. Even if you record every moment of your birth, your first step, and your wedding, you do not keep the happenings, but instead a replicate of the sounds and images. Moreover, while happenings are continuous, relics, however detailed, are always sporadic. Happenings, then, leave relics like a drop of water leaves a pit on mud, which in turn becomes a rock, or like a perishable piece of garment leaves a button of shell.
As a result, rather than picking up a memory, what you actually do when you look at the relics is making a new narrative. There might be a time when Gary looks at the lighter, he gets fuzzy which hand Randy used to hold the lighter with, and which hand he would use to reach for a cigarette, and when reading the heartbreaking line “hair of Sister Emilia, drowned when only three years old, in the heat of 1877,” the girls cannot remember the color of her eye. In other words, with or without relics, we human beings necessarily forget.
Then the point of the existence of relics cannot be that they replicate a happening. Instead, it is that they allow the act of “keeping.” If Gary did not keep the hat, or David did not keep the letter, or the family members did not keep the locks of hair, these objects would go to thrift shops or recycle bins, and become anonymous, become “nothing.” However, these people kept them, wrote notes about them, and looked at them. Knowing that these things neither bring back the person, nor replicate the memory, they still keep them. The keeping, then, more than an attempt to retain the happenings, is an announcement of an attitude, or a declaration of war on forgetting, a most natural human tendency:
“I am actively building connections with the object. By keeping it out of millions of things I let go, I announce it to be significant. Thus, I am making an effort to not forget, because I want to remember.”
Making Relics as a Maybe Futile Battle Against Mortality
On the other side of the relics from their keepers are their makers. Sometimes, the makers of the relics are unconscious, such as the owner of the hat or the hair. However, at other times, they make things with the hope and belief that they will be kept, especially in art and literature.
Such making has a two-fold meaning.
On the one hand, it is the struggle to prove our existence. We rely on material objects, because only through them we can performs “actions,” and bring potentialities into actualities: Only in writing, in making, we create, alter, and leave behind things as evidence of our existence. We write out our worries and sorrows so that they are not only in our minds, but also come to be in the world, as Bob would complain that fewer people came to Sawdust, and David would grumble that his friends did not appreciate his drawings.
On the other hand, it is the attempt to exist beyond our existence.
As Bob has made clear,
“I am not immortal.”
We all well know that we die eventually, and our bodies perish. As the souls that used to be in the bodies part with them, we as the combination of the two cease to “be.” While we know we cannot last forever, we strive to exist beyond our existence through objects that last longer than us. Those worries and sorrows that Bob and David shared, for example, exist as long as the pieces of paper exist regardless of the condition of their makers.
That is, we make relics to declare a war against mortality:
“I know I would die one day, but I leave these things, which prove that I existed.”
935 Comments
Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! Thanks for informative post 토토사이트
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Truly rarely should i encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail within the head. Your notion is outstanding; the pain is an issue that insufficient everyone is speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that we stumbled across this inside my try to find some thing relating to this. ซีรี่ย์จีน
I have been meaning to write about something like this on my blog and this has given me an idea. Thanks. หนังเกาหลี
You should check this out… […] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well […]…… ดูหนังฟรี
Thanks for every other informative site. The place else may just I get that kind of information written in such an ideal means? I have a venture that I’m just now operating on, and I have been on the look out for such information. 마사지
I needed to thank you for this incredible read!! I unquestionably adored each and every piece of it. I have you bookmarked your site to look at the new stuff you post.
black wines
I genuinely believed you would probably have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you can fix if you were not too busy looking for attention. After all, I know it was my choice to read..
touch programs
I truly welcome this superb post that you have accommodated us. I guarantee this would be valuable for the vast majority of the general population.
florist in nyc
Excellent pos work 먹튀검증
I should be grateful that you posted this information. I just wanted to let you know that I looked over your website and found it to be quite interesting and instructive. I am very excited to read through all of your posts. retro bowl college
Others should be able to use the internet to view the blog.
Sp5der
Useful post. This is my first time I visit here. I found so many intriguing stuff with regards to your blog particularly its conversation. Actually its incredible article. Keep it up 꽁머니
You have a good point here!I totally agree with what you have said!!Thanks for sharing your views…hope more people will read this article!! 토토사이트
I like review sites which grasp the cost of conveying the fantastic helpful asset for nothing out of pocket. I genuinely revered perusing your posting. Much obliged to you 메이저사이트
International Women's Day Celebration. Create lasting memories & get ₹500 off Purchase on two tickets.
International Women's Day
I really appreciate you taking the time to share this. I learned a lot!
Amber Naphthofuran
I really appreciate you taking the time to share this.
Amber Naphthofuran
นอกจากเรื่องของการเล่นแล้ว มีการพัฒนาคุณภาพของเกมสล็อตออนไลน์ให้เหมาะสมกับความต้องการของผู้เล่นมากขึ้น ซึ่งทำให้ส่งผลให้ผู้คนได้รับประสบการณ์การเล่นที่ดียิ่งขึ้น และช่วยเพิ่มโอกาสในการได้รับรางวัลและเงินให้กับผู้เล่นอีกด้วย ทั้งนี้เพราะเกมสล็อตออนไลน์มีการอัพเดตเทคโนโลยีและกราฟิกสวยงามอยู่เสมอ ทำให้ผู้เล่นได้รับประสบการณ์ที่ดียิ่งขึ้นและได้รับความสนุกสนานมากขึ้น akabetvip1150
Easy, fresh, beautiful 슬롯 가품 확인
Why Choose The Prometheas Technologies As Your ServiceNow App Development Company?
ServiceNow, a global leader in software development, revolutionizes business operations with its integrated and interconnected applications. This cloud-native solution offers a comprehensive package that enables organizations to enhance various aspects of their workflows and operations. In the modern business landscape, automation is recognized as a powerful tool for boosting productivity, reducing costs, and improving efficiencies. At our company, we specialize in ServiceNow mobile app development services, leveraging the platform to optimize your business processes and expedite digital transformation. By hiring our team of ServiceNow certified developers, you can ensure a rapid, seamless, and efficient transition to a digitally empowered organization.
Visit- https://prometheastech.com , mail- hello@prometheastech.com
Spinning the roulette wheel, hoping to get lucky and win some money. 먹튀검찰
I really appreciate you sharing this great article post!온라인바둑이
Great post, and great website. Thanks for the information! 바카라
Your primary agency for Meme Marketing Agency in India, delivering memorable and impactful campaigns.
Digital Marketing Agency in India
Hire Outsystems Developers!
Prometheas Technologies boasts a team of seasoned OutSystems developers who harness the platform’s full potential to deliver enterprise applications tailored to both present and future market demands. We champion personalized enterprise solutions, offering clients an array of customization and scalability options to ensure solutions align perfectly with their unique needs. Our mastery of OutSystems extends to every phase, from consultancy to final app development, and ongoing support and maintenance services. Count on our unwavering expertise for your success. Visit- https://prometheastech.com , mail- hello@prometheastech.com
It’s important to keep learning and practicing new things so you can be really good at your job and do it well. 카지노 db
This is very useful, although it will be important to help simply click that web page link: 토토사이트
💌 #เว็บดี เว็บตรง เว็บอันดับ1️⃣
📌สมัครฟรี➤ https://heylink.me/Miami900/
✅ นักลงทุนไม่ควรพลาด เว็บที่มั่นคง💸
✅ระบบใหม่ล่าสุด ฝาก – ถอน ภายใน 5 วินาที
✅ รองรับทุกธนาคารและ ทรูวอเลท
✅ยูสใหม่ แนะนำฝากเลย แตกกันรัวๆ การันตีแตกยับแน่นอน
🎰สล็อต🎲คาสิโน🃏บาคาร่า⚽️กีฬา
✨ ฝาก-ถอน ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ 1 บาทก็ฝากเล่นได้✨
🤩 แอดมินดูแลตลอด 24. ชม.🤩
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5
Link 6
You’re doing it wrong if your content isn’t generating conversation. 슬롯무료
Link 7
If you take your time and write carefully, you will get better at writing quickly in the future. 슬롯 가품
Link 8
Link 9
Link 10
Link 11
Link 12
Link 13
Link 14
Link 15
Time to talk about it I feel learned more from what you said
123คาสิโน
Experience exclusivity at Aparna 17 Degrees North, the top Members-Only Club in Hyderabad. Upgrade your lifestyle with privileged interactions and luxurious relaxation surrounded by nature.
Clubs in Hyderabad
Explore film magic, theme park joy and Womens Day Celebration
Experience unparalleled entertainment, the Best Theme Park in Hyderabad. Dive into the excitement with thrilling rides and attractions, making it the best adventure park in Hyderabad.
India’s leading uPVC Doors and Windows Manufacturer & Supplier. Find the best uPVC Windows and Doors, uPVC Sliding Doors near your.
A premier player among uPVC manufacturers in Hyderabad, offering a comprehensive range of uPVC windows and doors.
What distinguishes uPVC Profile solutions is our approach to creating environmentally friendly uPVC window and door systems.
Luxurious 3BHK Flats For Sale in lingampally, Serilingampally Hyderabad. Enjoy sophisticated living in this stunning architectural masterpiece, raising the bar for upscale residences with 80% corner units, more than 50 facilities, and completely Vastu-compliant residences.
3BHK Flats For Sale
In the bustling center of Hyderabad, a fresh benchmark for luxurious living is set with its unique selection of large 2, 3-BHK flats in Hyderabad. This tour guides us through the upscale developments strategically situated in Chandanagar, Kukatpally, and Sainikpuri, displaying a perfect mix of opulence, coziness, and ease.
Flats For sale in Sainikpuri
Experience the Best Shoulder Pain treatment in Hyderabad with us and unlock an active and Pain-free Life.
Shoulder Pain treatment in Bengaluru
Get ready for some really big fights, exciting victories are coming. 카지노사이트
Very useful information shared in this article, nicely written! I will be reading your articles and using the informative tips. Looking forward to read such knowledgeable articles. slot777
Really impressed! Everything is very open and very clear clarification of issues. It contains truly facts. Your website is very valuable. Thanks for sharing slot777
Try your best and you will do even better. 슬롯가품