Memories Sorted

The aim of this project is to raise awareness around keeping memories alive. Without stories being handed down either by korero, or in the written word, we can forget the essence of important people in our lives. Memories are what make us who we are and in this hurried world, it is important to make space for ‘sorting memories’.

My grandma had written a collection of stories for her 6 grandchildren. The gift of these stories has kept her memory alive, burning brightly. Curating and communicating some of these stories are the foundation of this book.

I not only made this project for my family, to honour my grandma and her keen written observations of the world around her, but also to spark public conversations around the dying art of writing things down and keeping memories alive. I'm incredibly blessed to have these stories my grandma has written because without this context many of the photographs I have been provided with become less significant. I'm essentially posing the question to the public ‘when are you going to sort out that old box/collection of photos and memories?’. Almost every family has something, whether it's a shoe box, a bag, or a photo album - filled with unsorted and unorganised pictures, documents, and artefacts. Without being placed in context, organised, or having written memories that tell the story behind them, these items run the risk of losing their meaning and could become less accessible to future generations.

By putting this project out into the world, grandparents will hopefully see the value of writing their memories, and grandchildren will see the value of encouraging their grandparents to do so.