Souvenir
Souvenirs are usually associated with kitsch, mass-produced, iconic miniatures vastly available for purchase. They typically lack a specific time frame that indicates when tourists experienced a memorable event. In contrast, photos are very personal; we turn ourselves into a kind of souvenir when taking pictures in front of monuments.
Souvenir is a kinetic sculpture that explores the contrast between the hyper-generic and the personal. It sources Big Ben images from semi-public digital archives, Instagram. A device projects these alternating images onto a 1:1 scale model of a plain Big Ben keychain. The model is attached to a clock hand, which not only makes it spin but also somewhat restores some of the functionality of the clock tower.
Exhibited at “wyrd atmosfear”, Conditions Interim Exhibition, Croydon, London, 2024.
