Contribute to The Lost Object Project

Contribute to The Lost Object Project
Virtual Memorials for Inanimate Objects
http://www.thelostobject.com

Collecting images and stories about objects that are lost, missing, or otherwise no longer in our possession for an ongoing online exhibition of virtual memorials.

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It all started with a lost briefcase. After I graduated from college, my grandfather insisted I have a traditional briefcase. The gift was much appreciated in thought but proved mostly useless. A cross-country move several years later eventually forced me to part with the briefcase, donating it, among many other objects, to the Salvation Army. That was a couple of years ago. My grandfather died recently and all I can think about is that briefcase.

By creating a virtual memorial for my lost briefcase and sharing my story, I honor my grandfather's gift and, to some extent, confess my guilt over getting rid of it. As I started to tell people my story, I was struck by their response, which involved, in most cases, immediately sharing with me a similar story about an object that they had lost or misplaced. This project was designed to contemplate, through the emergent content of analog and online submissions from my immediate community and beyond, the irrational affection we often feel towards inanimate objects as well as the narrative and meaning that get attached to these otherwise mundane things over time, qualities that can become heightened in an object's loss or absence.

The website provides a space for people to observe as well as share their stories about and images of their lost objects. You are invited to browse the virtual memorials and participate in the project at http://www.thelostobject.com/project.html

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The Lost Object Project
http://www.thelostobject.com
[email protected]