« Dan Rather | Main | News from UBUWEB - The finest art archive »
September 23, 2004
Proust, Unbrellas and Briefcases (Memory)
There is no persistence of memory. Rather, it is easier to forget. Proust was correct. You really do need an object, such as his madeleine, to help you along. Once I told a story in which a man recounts his life through the umbrellas he has owned. A turning point occurs when his most prized umbrella, the one with the mahogany handle, disappears. Umbrellas won't do in my case, however, because I don't use them. They get in my way and are useless in the wind.
So what do I do to help me remember events from say, twenty or twenty five years ago?
Briefcases. Maybe I can use briefcases to recast my life story, or at least help me to remember whatever it was I have forgotten that just might be worth remembering after all. Here is a list of briefcases that I have owned. To the best of my knowledge it is complete.
1) Brown Samsonite. Plastic, with aluminum frame. A gift. Used maybe two years. The main issue with this briefcase was that its hard sides made it difficult to fit all my stuff inside. I wasn't crazy about the style. On the inside was a file folder to which I had taped a stylized music notation clipped from the Village Voice. In retrospect, I think this might actually have been a reproduction of a John Cage manuscript page, but at the time I had not seen too many of his scores and so can't be certain of the attribution.
2) Brown, cheap leather with a flip over top, brass lock and shoulder strap. The seams separated on this one and I tried to repair it with a glue gun. Eventually the brass clasp of the shoulder snapped off, rendering this briefcase completely useless. This briefcase was short lived, due to poor workmanship.
3) Black canvas. This is the reigning champ. I carried it for years. The style had a name (which I forget) and one version evolved over time into the messenger bag. Companies still make the original style, and it has evolved to accept the notebook computer and other modern conveniences. This briefcase had a zipper along the bottom which enabled its capacity to be expanded by unfolding a secondary lining. The flap was secured by two plastic straps and had a zipper compartment. Under the flap on the case proper were various nooks and crannies. There was a side pocket for the paper. The shoulder strap was the most comfortable ever made. When the top seams started to go I sewed it back together myself. Eventually, however, there was nothing to be done and it was discarded with the trash.
4) Black Leather Kenneth Cole. I still use this occasionally. The leather is nice and soft and there is plenty of room for stuff. It can handle a notebook computer. It suffers from a broken zipper and doesn't match my raincoat and hat.
5) Green Gym Bag. Short lived. Impractical. My stuff sloshed around and I could never find what I needed. Don't try this.
6) Black Backpack and 7) Green Land's End. Both excellent, practical choices. In rotation, depending on where I am going and my mood. Currently the Land's End is in storage.
Posted by apc at September 23, 2004 12:44 AM
Comments
I remember my cats
Posted by: catwoman at September 24, 2004 11:49 PM