Things in Memory and The River of Time
Johanneslund sheltered housing for the elderly for Haninge Municipality 2005
When I was in my teens, I met my then boyfriend’s grandfather who lived
in Kalix. He spoke of one of his friends, saying, “Axel, well, he’s
in his second childhood.” That expression stayed with me. It is a tender
and beautiful way of referring to old age. One’s short-term memory fails,
and the contours of the present grow hazy and incomprehensible. But what lingers
and perhaps grows even more distinct, is the early memories. Experiences from
childhood. Objects, people, smells, colours and things that happened in the
past are often described by old people with razor sharpness. This was the
perspective when I worked on the objects for Johanneslund. They are larger
than life, like memories. These are everyday objects that most people have
encountered in various ways.
photo Michael Perlmutter
