Working on a project such as I am with the Ruth & Bob project has me thinking about something common to the majority of us. Probably more so today with the vast array of media-recording technology available.
We all have (and know about) photo albums, boxes full of loose photographs, 8mm/super 8 movies, VHS videos, etc. that exist and were produced around the genesis of our respective families and lives. These assets are the raw materials that comprise the records of our lives as well as those who came before us. They are documents of brief moments of time and space that were created/captured (either intentionally or unintentionally) for some purpose. Most likely the purpose of these assets is linked to one or more individual’s memory. Colored by perception they are too often only linked to meaning through someone’s recollections.
Rarely are these assets documented: the who, what, where, when, and why (and perhaps how) behind their creation. Context is left to memory where meaning can only be gleaned from the presence of a narrator who can explain it to us – usually verbally. Memories fade, colored and distorted by time and context slowly diminishes to the point where it can (and will) be forgotten. I can recall as a child, looking through old photographs, asking my father which of these mysterious men was his father. He wasn’t sure! My paternal grandfather had passed away some time before my parents were married and I was curious about what he looked like. That was my first lesson in the erratic nature of memory.
Now, lose that narrator and what is left? Documents of moments in space and time with no context and no meaning. None. At this point, what is the purpose of keeping them? Beyond mysteries with poetic possibilities what is there?
Often, the legacy of these assets (and associated memory) is passed down through generations orally. If you ever played the game of “Telephone“, you will understand how inaccurate that can be. Western culture is not attuned to the maintenance of oral histories.
So, if you care, what can one do about this? The answer is simple: begin recording context. Seek out those narrators who still have memories associated with those assets. It can be as simple as making written notations on the back of existing photographs, grouping assets by people, periods of time, etc. Anything to organize those assets into some context is a simple first step. If you are digitally savvy, begin digitizing them and archive them onto a CD or DVD. Did you know that the majority of photo editing software has the capability to annotate contextual information that will be embedded within the digital image itself? A couple hours here and there and you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish. Just don’t plan on doing it all in one fell swoop.
Someone in your family may just want to take that research library of family assets and documented memories you’ve assembled and create a narrative out of it in the future.
More thoughts on this to come.
