By interpreting the findings of how souvenirs exist in people’s daily life and the situations memories are evoked, five main activities that contribute to evoking memories after the journey are brought out.
5.3.1 Arranging Souvenirs
After the journey, people start to arrange the souvenirs into their place. Some souvenirs need to be sorted out first, which can be regarded as a former and detailed arrangement.
When arranging the souvenirs, people are presetting a context for memories evoking, whether they are doing it intentionally or not.
People tend to sort bits and pieces brought from travel. During this process, people are re-experiencing the journey. The most typical example is editing a “pieces-volume”, memories corresponding to each souvenirs popping out one after another. The
“pieces-volume” is mostly edited according to the dates, and therefore a way of reminiscing chronologically is set for the future. A container is usually used for sorting out bits and pieces. Memories encoded to the souvenirs are therefore attached to the container, making it a substitute for souvenirs inside. When souvenirs inside are purely from one or two journeys, the container is ablest to remind people of memories or represent the journey. In addition to the meaning given by the contents, the container which is obtained from the journey has the meaning of souvenir in itself. A new travel experience may make people sort the souvenirs again, which provides another chance for evoking memories.
Most people don’t think too much when arranging the souvenirs to their place. However, they tend to lay souvenirs obtained lately at a visible place. Besides, three-dimensional and decorative objects are more likely to be placed outside, being visible. These souvenirs are mainly miniatures and piece-of-the-rock, which don’t have many practical functions except for “decoration”. Another kind of souvenirs usually placed visible is large objects.
They are so big that the storage is close to display, e.g., mountain climbing stick, poster.
5.3.2 Seeing Souvenirs
People place souvenirs which they would like to see at visible space. Souvenirs which can not be seen will be easily forgotten. It seems that laying the souvenirs at visible space provides more opportunities for evoking memories. However, on the contrary, it was found that people have an adaptation for souvenirs which they see all the time, so the memories are not evoked. “Visibility” is a critical issue. The souvenir which is visible for people to catch a glimpse of occasionally and the souvenir which is seen for a specific purpose once in a while are ablest to trigger memories.
5.3.3 Reading Souvenirs
Souvenirs that can be “read” refer to souvenirs collection. When people “see” the collection, an integral image of destinations or one single journey is shown. When people
“read” the collection, detailed travel experiences and encounters are revealed. It can be explained by a metaphor of “collage”. Facing a collage, one can either see the entire image or look at each part composing the collage. For reading souvenirs, stronger intention is needed and also people are more deeply engaged in reminiscing.
People put souvenirs together to maintain coherence and integrity of memories. While being read, collections evoke series of memories following either event or location as unit.
For a finished “pieces-volume”, the memories are evoked according to events. It is a travel note written by the objects. Every single piece records the corresponding event. For a map, location is the index of memories. It can be regarded as a travel schedule presented in a spatial way. During the journey, the location of people is always changing. Therefore compared with date, location is easier to remember, and thus becomes an important clue for recalling.
5.3.4 Using Souvenirs
Based on definition of souvenir, souvenir is something that serves as a reminder and the function of souvenir is to store or stimulate memories [4]. However, manufactured souvenirs usually have other functions, e.g., mug, t-shirt. A miniatures is sometimes installed an irrelevant function [11], e.g., a Big Ben miniature with pencil sharpener in the bottom. Even the miniature with no function may be called “decoration”, a kind of function. The products which gain the meaning of souvenir after people attaching memories to them have their original functions. “The second function”, the function other than keeping or evoking memories, makes souvenir practical. Although practicability of
souvenir is not a main concern for people to cherish or value the souvenirs, the souvenirs in use can extend the time of staying together with people, and therefore provide the opportunities of evoking memories. The specific purpose that people need to achieve by the souvenirs becomes an indirect memories trigger. When people use it once for a while, it brings the memories evocation into full play. According to Littrell’s [14] three categories of textile souvenir meaning origins, meaning can evolve from their use in the home. Using a souvenir can enrich the meaning of the souvenir and build the relation between people and the souvenir. However, fragility of souvenirs can influence usage. For protecting valuable meaning attached on the fragile souvenir, people will change the usage, e.g., a mug is used as a decoration.
“The second function” of merchandise which is manufactured as souvenir is usually irrelevant to the form or images on it. From Gordon’s [11] research, two ways of combining function and form of such three-dimensional, manufactured souvenirs can be induced. One is “symbolic shorthand”, which the irrelevant function is installed in a symbolic miniature. The other one is “marker”, which has its original function while irrelevant to the place then is inscribed with words to become a souvenir. The mismatch of form (or pattern) and function is acceptable because when traveling people are in an extraordinary and reversal context, being more relaxing and playful. Compared to this merchandise, there is less problem of mismatch on expendable local products, e.g., cocoa from the Netherlands. They can be proper memories triggers by being used, especially those which can not be used up at once.
5.3.5 Introducing Souvenirs
Some souvenirs can easily create an atmosphere for sharing memories. They can be carried or worn to make people around the owner curious or interested and then become the roles of memories triggers, asking the owner questions. Once the owner starts to introduce the souvenir, memories are evoked. The notebook with stamps from trips carried all the time can arouse friends’ curiosity. T-shirts with symbolic images of travel destinations can always be a topic of conversation. When sharing travel experiences, people tend to use tangible souvenirs as memories triggers. According to Bationo et al. [6], physical contact with concrete souvenirs is more important for tourists to tell stories than visual presentations. A tangible souvenir can act as a proper memories trigger for people to give narratives while chatting.
Table 3 Corresponding relation between informants’ souvenirs and content of Chapter Five
Crystal and stones from Egypt Mugs from Egypt National Gallery leaflet London city map
Printed textile from V&A Museum Sally Lunn's packing box
F Cattle figurines fromPeru Ekeko puppet
Fuji Mountain climbing stick Bits and pieces from Eastern Europe T-shirt from Eastern Europe
G Handmade lighting from Portugal Magnets on fridge
Goddess figurine from Egypt Photo with frame from Thailand Postcard from Portugal