“She tells me it has always been a memory of a trip. A journey accompanied by a thick cardboard trunk covered in locks and hinges, a stage for stories yet to come to life. She remembers it well, and with amazing affection she smiles while she recollects where it was, and what was inside…Inside it kept pages of stories that she still treasures today. She can’t forget, after all the writing she did, the happiness she felt in being able to store the fruit of her labor in that large chest, both container and keeper.”
Even if it’s not around anymore because it was lost during some move, the recollection of that chest continues to remain present in her memory. It’s a site of her origins and a deep fondness. During our meeting I listened as we explored the rich content of that Object of Connection: only the sound of the moka pot could temporarily interrupt such a vivid account.
During the listening phase we traced the geography of her memory. She left me a few of her writings, that together with parts of the story were fundamental for shaping, Sottosopra, her object of Identity Craft.
Her story came to life within the chest through the rich details she shared, which we layered onto it.
“What Fatima creates with Identity Craft is a gift. A cathartic experience. An emotional journey that puts one in touch with their identity. A rediscovery of oneself. A story from girl to woman among fragments of history, books, art and maps. Childhood memories that lead to the present. Discovering oneself as a person within the identity of an object that represents us. Unique, just as is each one of us.”
— Ilenia