DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/7WSM-6Y87
Defense Date
2006
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Sculpture
First Advisor
Amy Hauft
Abstract
Postcards highlight the most invigorating, awesome and memorable aspects of events and places. They serve as mementos to be shared or as a testament to experience, proof that "I was here." While postcards were most widely used at the turn of the 20th century, they are quickly being outmoded by the immediacy of technology. Thanks to digital photography and the world wide web, sharing memories is something that happens almost as quickly as the original event is experienced. The history and function of postcards are not the topics that I will address in this essay. Rather, I will look at how geography and experience influence the formation of memories and illustrate how postcards, in highlighting the most mundane and forgettable aspects of place, can act as a mnemonic device. I will also touch on ideas of the simulacra to explore how the simulation of an event or object can be truer or at least more authentic than the original.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
June 2008