Memory Art or the Art of Memory

First off: I'm a HUGE Antiques Roadshow fan. Last night I was watching an episode from Iowa and someone brought in what was called memory art. It could specifically be defined as folk art--because someone not famous made it. It was a plaster of paris tower embedded with a woman's junk drawer artifacts: her life. There were marbles, coins, hair pins, even a tooth. How much more was not represented--laundry lists, grocery store receipts, the number of hours spent staying up with a sick child? What about all the stuff she was unable to attach to wet plaster? It was really cool and worth something--but still not near enough of what the woman's life contained.
How much do dreams cost? A dream deferred.
Still, the idea got me thinking about memory and how a person can make memory visible, give it dimension, apply a texture.If you were to build a Memory Tower--what would it contain? What would you want your relatives or descendants to remember you by?

Comments

Sheila said…
Hi,Jane,

"Memory Art" -- I love it! But at this point, I am thinking of making a scrapbook not a work of art. I am in the process of writing a memoir and having fun with that. I guess my illustrations will serve as my visual memoir.