JOIN JANE CONTINUING TO MAKE SENSE OF ART
And this month Jane has been exploring the world of Holiday Souvenirs – the tasteful kind!
Port Isaac Tea Towel
Sticks of rock, Kiss me quick hats, fridge magnets, tea towels, tee shirts, sand in a bottle – the list goes on and on! These are some of the classic souvenirs that particularly the British public have bought for many years – either as cheap presents for family and friends or as a small momento of a holiday. Mostly very tacky – often made of plastic and we can only assume that most of it ends up in landfill.
So why do we need souvenirs?
Travel souvenirs go back to ancient times. The Ancient Greeks and Romans made painted pots and miniature silver ornaments particularly for travellers passing through. People going on Christian pilgrimages wanted a momento – to prove and boast that they had been, needing to take a piece of the Holy Land home with them. The ultimate souvenir was a bone of a saint – there are many such bones in travel collections in our stately homes.
One anonymous traveller is quoted as saying “People feel the need to bring things home with them from the sacred, extraordinary time or space – for home is equated with ordinary mundane time or space.”
As a child I remember seeing collections of teaspoons in display cabinets in the homes of my grandparents’ friends and I was fascinated to read that this popular souvenir started in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Countries and cities all over the world soon had their own teaspoon design and it became the must have souvenir from wherever you had been.
Art – the perfect souvenir from a special holiday.
In 2022 we need to go back to the origins of ‘the souvenir’ – something that evokes memories of a happy time, a happy place and often a different culture. The perfect and most meaningful way to do this is by exploring the art and culture of the holiday destination.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to many different parts of the world and whilst I enjoy looking at the photographs I have taken on my travels, it is my collection of ‘art souvenirs’ that brings me the most pleasure.
The figure above is one of two I found in Thailand, made of wood and hand painted. It reminds me of the wonderful Thai string puppet shows and the fabulous music that accompanies the action.
I brought these 2 pieces of silver back from a trip to Mexico. A goblet and a plate inlaid with lapis lazuli – having seen the artist at work. The textile piece below is from Peru – again from a workshop where the artists were working.
You will perhaps have noticed that both these examples were bought from the artists and this I think is key. We need to support local artists – those artists practicing old crafts, traditional techniques and experimenting with mixing old and new – without tourism many of these arts would disappear. By supporting the local galleries and artists we are supporting whole communities whether it is in far flung places across the globe or in our own country. Our momento or souvenir is a permanent memory of our time away – something much more meaningful than a fridge magnet!
