This category gathers artworks, aesthetic objects, souvenirs, and other decorative elements that participants choose to display in their video diaries.
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While varied in form, souvenirs are by far the most frequent. These items often signal either the place participants come from or the place they aspire to go, and they commonly decorate their homes.
A postcard from Paris or Greece, fridge magnets from different cities, a Thai wooden sculpture of an elephant, or a miniature of the Big Ben – each object is both decorative and evocative, carrying the memory of a past experience or the anticipation of a future one.
They may also reflect a participant’s artistic taste, cultural heritage, or aesthetic sensibility. In the context of migration, such objects are tokens of identity, longing, and belonging, quietly narrating personal journeys through the language of design and memory.
“When I look at this picture, I think of home. I always pray every day. This is my spiritual anchor, and it makes me happy.”
Finland _ Participant 1, March 2024
“Today, I choose this picture of Buddha to represent me. A friend gave me this picture. My friend usually took me to the temple. When I look at this picture, I think of home. I always pray every day. This is my spiritual anchor, and it makes me happy. I brought this picture with me since I moved to Finland over ten years ago. This picture is placed behind a cupboard at home. I pray for happiness and wealth. I pray for my parents’ happiness and good health.”