On Longing

"The body is the primary mode of perceiving scale."

When looking for a picture that related most to this quote, this one took the cake. I took this picture on Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh, which is a large mountain that overlooks the entire city. By holding a clear crystal ball I was not only able to flip the entire city upside down but I was also able to hold the entire city in my hand. The body is a primary mode of perceiving scale because on top of the mountain the city looks rather tiny whereas when in the heart of the city you feel as though you're the smallest in sight.

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

Call me a nerd but I am Flagler's Quidditch Captain and I love Harry Potter. This picture relates most to this quote because it shows my reaction of visiting Universal Studios for the first time. Not only is the picture a trace of an authentic experience but the pointing of the wand also adds to the idea that my experience of being immersed in "The Wizarding World" was entirely authentic. The wand is a constant reminder of the unforgettable feeling of temporarily becoming a wizard for the price of an arm and a leg.

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

I chose this picture of two meet & greet concert passes because they serve as souvenirs that not only represented meeting an artist but also of a tangible item. These passes are not what I bought, the physical meet and greet was, but the passes are simply pieces of paper that signified what I had bought. The meet & greet was over in one night and these passes, souvenirs that envelope an entire night, are still in my bedroom.

"Nostalgia can not be sustained without loss."

Nostalgia is rooted deeply with my family. This quote refers to my picture because you do not fully realize the strength of a family until you move away from it. This is the last picture I took with my parents before they left me for my freshman year. Though it is a simple picture it shows that I did not realize how much I would miss my family, their cooking, and their company until I left it. Flagler College rightfully gave that space between my family and that space created nostalgia that was found once I started my life here.

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

Feeding and taking pictures with giraffes is not an everyday occurrence here in the United States and so this picture feeds well into this quote. The souvenir in this picture is not the giraffe but the picture itself. An exotic souvenir is not something that can be bought or given to someone regularly, rather is one that is far away or uncommon. This picture with the giraffe is an exotic souvenir because I was able to experience the presence of an animal that is not native to the United States.