Jewelry

When backpacking your social identity becomes compartmentalized into multiple bags, pouches , satchels, boxes. You try and fit your sense of style into a travel sized backpack , already reminiscing on days filled with drawers that have handles.  Practicality classes with sentimentality when deciding what to pack. The compromise I found was jewelry, small, lightweight , easily find (and lost). They would become my personal decoration. The accessories we choose adorn our social body, telling people things about ourselves long before we have even spoken. Like ornaments on a Christmas tree they celebrate memories of the past while saying something about how we occupy space in the present. The many different elements, from the largest necklace to the smallest toe ring come together to create an overall aesthetic of identity. You should conceptualize jewelry as a form of wearable art, your body the best canvas because it travels with you everywhere.

Every piece of jewelry has a story, even if its ‘I don’t know where I got it from’. These stories allow us to reveal an intimate part of ourselves to complete strangers. A necklace from our mum, ring from a past lover, bracket from an old friend. They are not just stories of silver but become illuminated by the golden glow of memory. Through this exchange our jewelry takes its pace in the world , helping us define our own. Often, I will take someone’s hand and demand they tell me the story of their rings.  From this you learn about the countries they love, people they care about enough to be reminded of them whenever they look at their hands. For a traveler your jewelry box, purse, pouch, pocket becomes an important thing. It is a space to keep stories of places you have been, maybe hopes of places you are yet to go. A pearl necklace in case you ever go to a fancy restaurant, an odd earing given to you from a friend you may never see again. Despite their small size jewelry carries a lot of weight. Its ability to take up minimal physical space is what makes it a travelers best friend. While I am moving through places I will be attempting to photograph peoples different collections of jewelry and the compartment they keep it in.