Lost Childhood Object

 







I had a very positive experience reimagining Jada's cherished object, which was a small purple scrapbook filled with photographs with descriptions that her seven-year-old self threw together.

At first, I was intimidated by the prospect of recreating a scrapbook because it is an object that is incredibly personal. Although Jada gave me some helpful descriptions of some of the photographs and the captions her childlike self wrote, I did have to exercise significant creative liberty in imagining what it might have looked like. One of the most interesting parts of the entire process was imagining that I was a little kid putting it together. When I found myself becoming frustrated that the edges of the pages weren’t lined up, or the drawings were not proportionally accurate, I had to remind myself that these sort of imperfections are what would be most necessary in translating the memory of this lost object. I didn’t find any significant challenges when it came to materials, as the elements of a scrapbook are pretty easy to find in any sort of arts and crafts setting. However, since I have never done book-binding before, my ability to make an accurate book was hindered. Yet, I believe that taping the pages to the spine created a more authentically playful book. In that sense, limited materials helped the process of translating memory. Although it may have not been physically accurate, it was certainly metaphorically accurate. Jada even said that the tinfoil silver heart on the heart looked like an exact replica of the cover that she had on the original.

On the flip side, it was such a cool experience to witness the recreation of my childhood object, a Calico Critters mansion. I will admit that it was a lofty project to attempt. The original house was about the size of a cat carrier and had three stories. Each room was decorated with wallpaper that I cut myself and taped to the walls myself, and there was a plethora of furniture and miniature objects filling the space. Jada did an incredible job recreating it. Although (understandably) being significantly smaller than the original, she kept the three stories and added fun wallpaper to each room. There was a shower, couch, rug, and bed, along with other adorable elements. I also appreciated that she recreated the house with an imperfect childlike touch, which contributed to the nostalgic feel. I realized that an object does not have to be perfectly recreated in order to evoke special past memories. 


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