The symbolic camera is meant to represent my cinematic journey. Inspired by my vision quest around Hastings and St. Leonards, I chose to construct it from some of the objects I collected along the way.
A series of winding peaks and valleys form the landscape here (I have often joked it would be Escher's fantasy), creating a continuously changing view, many of which panoramic. I wanted to reflect this in the physical form of my camera. The transparency of the body (a recycled bottle) provides the user with innumerable angles to view through and symbolically this represents looking at life through different perspectives. The view view finder (a bottle neck with screw cap) is intended to further this idea.
At first glance, Hastings may seem like any other seaside town, however the longer you spend hear the more you are exposed to the quirky diversity and obscurities it has to offer. It is for this reason I made the top removable, so that anyone who interacted with the camera may put in souvenirs or small tokens, with the intention of gradually obscuring the views through it.
I began this 'curation' of souvenirs by adding seaweed and other objects I collected on my vision quest. Over the course of the project, several people added mementos, including rizlas, gum, shells, old train tickets, and a miniature hourglass. My favourite contribution came from a student in the library at UKC; all he had to offer was peanuts.