DESIDERIUM

2023

I have always been intrigued by the human ability to choose what we want to remember and how we want to remember and how we want to remember it. We long for what’s gone or in the past, feeling as if we took it for granted. This is evidence of a cognitive tendency to remember the past better than it was. In a way we can think of our memories as romanticized, fabricated even.

This does not mean, however, that we consciously distort or embellish our memories. Rather, the process of retrieving memories is highly reconstructive and prone to biases. We must carry the past with us, but if a memory hurts every time it’s recalled then the pain would be unbearable. We shall dream about the people lost in our memories, preserved by nostalgia and romanticized by our broken hearts.

In connection, we hold onto objects that carry memories and emotions: a shirt you once “borrowed” but never gave back or a love letter from a previous partner. The objects signify a feeling, a desire, and a vast sea of memories that once revealed one’s vulnerabilities but now gives warmth as if they were a personal sanctuary

Credits
Photography: Dawn Guo
Talent: Aisha Zhanseit
Hair: Ciara Liu
Set Assistant: Aliya Hidirlar
Set Assistant: Esther Park

s h a r r i n p a r k