Thursday, August 20, 2009

Collectibles

I'm not much of a collector. Until recently I rarely took photos. I am more prone to purging than to hoarding, and I can count the number of sentimental items or trinkets I own on one hand: the very wise and lyrical (handwritten) letter that my dad gave me as I got on the plane to go to college for the first time, a small perfume bottle that my sister brought back for me from Cuba nearly fifteen years ago, an odd little ivory box adorned with several frogs that a friend of mine in elementary school gave me and one iconic (in my family at least) image of each of my parents.

They say that opposites attract, and in this realm that is most certainly the case with me and Paul. He is one of the more sentimental people that I've ever met, and as a result each and every item that he comes across is at some point considered very special. I used to find it charmingly amusing until I was cleaning out a large dresser a while back and came across piles and piles of letters and programs and photos gathered during his ten years living in London. It was wonderful to look through, and allowed me to get acquainted with the person he was before we met. And as he sorted through the stacks and stacks of paper, he was able to reminisce about some very good old days that might not have been quite so memorable were the visual aids not available. So I began to see his habit of collecting as the action of a wise, emotionally evolved person rather than as a quaint eccentricity.

Having seen the joy that going through his collection of tidbits brought us both, I began to see that collections of that sort really ought to be displayed such that consistent consumption is possible. So, as a birthday gift, I set out to put one of his larger collections, that of concert tickets, into a visually appealing form.

And I came up with this:

Four cheap frames,

filled to bursting with every ticket from every concert he's attended since he moved to the United States eight years ago.

They are currently displayed on our hall wall. Not only do I find them visually appealing, but I adore watching him walk past, pause, stare at a section for a moment and smile quietly in recognition and recollection of a particularly great gig.

10 comments:

Kay said...

What a pleasant idea! I keep scrap books, how wonderful to display it as art work, a constant reminder of the time when...hmmmm... Have a great day!

Jana said...

WOW!! what a cool idea! I am going to have to stop throwing things away haha!

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

Laura, those concert tickets in that frame is a winner. How great to have those memories all in one place.

And I think there is a lesson in there for me.
I am not kidding you, but less than one minute ago I went through my jeans pockets before tossing them into the washer and I came across my movie ticket to Julie and Julia...and, even though I looked at it fondly for a few seconds, in the end, I tossed it....and then I came upon this......

Laura in Paris said...

i used to keep the boarding passes of the flight I took (and I have traveled A LOT in my life), but I have moved so many times that I do not longer know where to find them.
I keep now, in my business diary, the tickets of whatever exhbition, movie, or opera I attend .. to help my memory in the old days .. you have had a great idea.

The Blushing Hostess said...

It is alovely and not kitschy way of remembering. Fabulous.

Millie said...

What a lovely, generous gesture Laura. MOTH's a hoarder, quite shocking actually, but the difference is that jars of odd screws & nails gathering dust has absolutely NO sentimental value at all. You are lucky Paul had the concert tickets to frame. I have nails!
Millie ^_^

Kim said...

I did something very similar the last time we went to Glastonbury festival, with tickets, photo's, bits out of the program, all sorts really. It still makes me smile to look at it, not only because we had such a good time there, but also remembering the warm glow that prompted me to make the collage when we got home.
KIm xx

Terry said...

This has everything going for it: It's personal. It's not just the things y'all like, it's the things y'all have done. These teach, reward looking deeper and asking questions. And halls make great galleries. Nice work.

Laura said...

Kay - Scrap books are indeed wonderful...at a certain point your walls just can't take any more!

Jana - I am a compulsive thrower outer...don't stop throwing things away! Just perhaps selectively toss things away...

My Farmhouse Kitchen - Thank you for the lovely compliment! I am increasingly thinking that I myself should start saving meaningful mementos...

A World in a Pan - I love the airline ticket idea! What a fabulous way to remember past travels. And I LOVE the idea of keeping tickets and programs to performances and exhibitions. That is a really special collection to have.

Blushing Hostess - Oh good...I was hoping to avoid kitschy!

Millie - HA! Yes, nails are a bit harder to work with...

Kim - I went there for the first time this past year...it is a truly unique experience and well worth documenting!

Terry - You humble me with such words...many thanks!

dee said...

That is such a sweet gift idea!!

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