Xiran Wang
California College of the Arts
This project is about memory anchors.In my early twenties, I feel that I’m existing in an in-between state—no longer a child, yet not fully settled into adulthood. Rather than thinking about an uncertain and abstract future, I find myself more drawn to revisiting the past.
I often look through old photographs and let the images lead me back into the stories and emotions of those moments. The concept of memory anchors emerged during conversations with my parents about my childhood. I noticed that when I try to remember a specific event, the overall scene is often unclear. But once I remember a single detail, the rest of the memory begins to surface. This led me to believe that every remembered past contains an initial point of entry—a memory anchor—that triggers the larger narrative. This anchor could take the form of an object, a sensation, a piece of fruit, or even an animal.
So this project uses my childhood memories as example to help visualize this feeling for everyone, and I hope it can evoke some people’s own memories too.
