June 15, 2016

Recently, I visited the Museum of the History of Science as a part of my class experience in Oxford. While I did go in with the intention of looking through the entire museum with no distractions, I got caught up in the lowest floor checking out the older cameras. I've had my own collection of older cameras for a few years now; I always find the structure of old cameras so aesthetically pleasing. There is more to a camera though, than its exterior. The camera was officially invented in 1839 in France and in England, according to the marker on the display. People have always loved cameras; we've always wanted to document our lives, the lives of those around us. Photography allows us to remember moments that otherwise might be lost. These cameras have all seen birthday parties, family portraits, Christmas mornings. They've visited all over the world, taken pictures of the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben. Cameras are portals to the past in their own way and they help us create collections of memories, physical representations that serve as a way to prompt an "oh yeah, I remember the second this was taken."

I've always been obsessed with old photographs and history. I think it's fascinating. I love everything that comes from the past, even the bad parts. A few weeks ago I found these photographs in an antique shop in the Covered Market in Oxford. They were full of various scenes of people's lives in England, and it was amazing because I found the photos very similar to pictures of my own family members -- they're from the South. It's a pretty different background and yet the pictures are the same. We're capturing the same moments.

These pictures tell the stories of our lives and these cameras are what act as the middle man, in a way. They capture moments that are enjoyable in that second and carry them forward for us so that we may revisit them at any moment. I've always loved to collect cameras and when I saw these, I thought of my own collection. I thought about how connected I am to my own cameras. Now, of course, we don't carry around our cameras because our phones double but the same principle applies. The camera serves as a way for us to remember every moment. I know I've been trying to capture every second of my trip to Oxford and, once upon a time, someone else was carrying around one of these cameras trying to capture their time as Oxford just as well. Cameras not only connect us to our memories; they encourage us to embrace our surrounding and the fleeting moments of enjoyment that constantly accompany travel.

catch you later,
Karleigh