Story through Objects
Who We Are
Historical Narrative
The Hunt family is a family of love, togetherness and storytelling. They represent a multigenerational Black family with strong and evident roots and more modern traditions of their own. The objects found represent a snapshot into their world and while we can draw meaningful conclusions about who they are, how they lived and what they valued we must also assume the duality of meaning across objects and their relationship to each other and the family. It is not all encompassing but helps us draw a clear picture and understanding of the family's narrative.
Love Notes
Handwritten
Notes on post its, index cards, random pieces of paper or greeting cards are an important expression of love for this family. They wrote down what they feel and the notes are a strong documentation of time, celebrations, losses, accomplishments, holidays or just becauses. It is important for this family to write down what they feel, tell each other and to keep those notes. Each person had a box with notes from other family members through the years - giving anyone who reads them a strong sense of how important writing and storytelling is to this family namely to each other but also to the preservation and passing on.
Wine Glass
Broken
There are broken wines glasses in the trash of each family member indicating a strong sense of celebration time, perhaps a ritual of breaking a glass when together and the willingness to share the finer things (actual glass v plastic) with each other. This object suggests frequent group gatherings and celebrations. We can surmise many of the celebrations, moments and life events documented in the notes (above) were likely acknowledged through a toast and a party that led to one or several glass' demise.
Rag Doll Cookie Jar
Black
This 1980's cookie jar is present in each family members' home - usually the matriarch of a nuclear family branch of the tree. The cookie jar is typically placed in a convening area above the counter space - unused - presiding over gatherings and family events. This rag doll cookie jar was initially only made to represent a white doll but each family member has a Black version of this doll - a big statement of the family's economic status (at the time) and willingness to ensure all decorative items had cultural representation - especially when it was hard to do.
Coffee Mugs
Matching or Pairs
This family loves coffee. An abundance of mugs, coasters, coffee bags can we found from all over the world. There are sets of matching, potentially couple's mugs, present for each family member indicating an intimacy of the celebrations around broken wine glasses and known from love notes. We surmise that having coffee together to start the day or to end family gathering are an important part of how this family connects and stays connected to each other. We also imagine this is where recaps of events occur or where preparation for the next family gathering happens.
Picture in a Picture
Grandmother Braiding Child Hair
This family has done an amazing job of finding art that matches family photos. Throughout their space you find art that matches their reality. Preservation, capturing of moments especially across generations and storing them is an important action of this family. We find pictures of the Caribbean to NY apartment buildings, multigenerational images and a strong attempt to capture and preserve what they likely didn't have from previous generations.