Romantic Distortions by Jane Campbell

Romantic

Distortions

an exploration of nostalgia and memory through multiple lenses

Pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something

Nostalgia from the past and wishing that you could experience it again. 4

The ability to remember information, experiences, and people.

Memory The power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned. 4

Table of Contents

What triggers a nostalgic feeling in you?

1-2

Movies about nostalgia

3-4

Is nostalgia good for you?

What TV show or movie do you watch whenyouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling nostalgic? 27-28

An Interview with DJ JAKE RUDH

Television about Nostalgia

29-30

The therapeutic power of memory

31-40

Nostalgia and emotional wellness

5-8

25-26

A conversation with The Current DJ

An Interview with A Music Therapist

9-10

Music & memory

Songs about nostalgia

An interview with Minnesota Historical Society about the House of Memories app.

11-12

What is a song or band you associate with your childhood or teenage years?

13-14

An Interview with wild things

15-24

@RomanticDistortions

Antiquing, memories, and energy

What triggers a

nostalgic

feeling in 4

you?

TE LE VI S

MOVIE S

USE ITE HOLD MS

S U

d o fo

4 Source: Google Survey

The emotional wellness benefits OF NOSTALGIA

via The Conversation, by Marios Biskas

I feel a sentimental longing when I recall the day I attended a The Cure concert with my friends, the mornings I drew on the condensation of the school bus windows, and the evenings I played board games and watched Disney movies with my brothers. Clearly, this wistful longing for the past is quintessential nostalgia. Nostalgia was actually considered to be a disorder for centuries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a sad and anxious longing for something that is gone or far away. But today we know that it can have important psychological benefits. While it can sometimes be triggered by negative emotions such as loneliness, it has been shown to improve mood and make life feel meaningful. It provides feelings of being loved, protected and connected with others and can trigger inspiration and optimism about the future by helping us remember good things about ourselves and others. But how can we create nostalgic memories in order to reap these benefits? My colleagues and I speculated that savouring life experiences may help turn them into nostalgic memories. Perhaps it is the case that when people are in the midst of a meaningful experience, they often find themselves making extra effort to capture every moment of it. In three new studies, we investigated whether savouring an experience is implicated in the creation of nostalgic memories. We began by examining if people are more nostalgic for events that they savoured. We first instructed 266 participants to spend a few minutes thinking and writing about a positive event from their past. Immediately after this, they were asked to answer questions assessing how much they had savoured the event when it took place, and how nostalgic they currently felt about it. We found that the more participants had savoured an event, the more nostalgic they felt about it. This finding does provide initial evidence that savouring is important for the creation of nostalgic memories. We extended the experiment in a second study, by focusing on savouring and nostalgia for a

general life period rather than a specific event. We specifically looked at the life period of attending university. In this study, we also examined whether nostalgia for a previously savoured experience is associated with the psychological benefit of optimism. We approached 122 university alumni during a reunion event and assessed how much they had savoured their time while they were university students, and how nostalgic they currently felt for that period in their life. We also assessed how optimistic they were about their future. We found that the more participants had savoured their time at university, the more nostalgia they felt for that period in their life. Additionally, participants who felt more nostalgic for the savoured life period reported greater optimism about their future. In all, this study supplied further evidence that savouring contributes to the formation of nostalgic memories, and also evidenced nostalgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downstream implication on optimism. Then, we measured nostalgia for that experience at a later point in time, after the experience was finished. Specifically, we approached 66 university students during the day of their graduation ceremony and assessed how much they were savouring their last year at university. Then, four to nine months later, we contacted participants and assessed how nostalgic they felt for university and also how optimistic they felt about their future. We found that the more participants savoured the last year of university, the more nostalgic they felt for university life several months later. And again, nostalgia for the savoured experience was associated with greater optimism. These studies suggest that a deliberate effort to capture and appreciate a present experience provides the foundation for nostalgic memories. So if you want to create more nostalgic memories for the future, do make sure you really cherish special occasions. It could give you joy for years to come â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with nostalgia often triggered by smell, music or weather. Thinking about that live performance of The Cure certainly always puts a smile on my face. 4

An interview with DJ JAKE RUDH A conversation about music, nostalgia, and stranger things

So I’m working on a project about nostalgia, and you were one of the first people brought to my mind. What do you think of when you think of nostalgia? JR: The two words “Stranger Things” come to mind. But I’ve definitely based a lot of my career around nostalgia, no doubt about it. When you create your radio show each week, do you purposefully create a setlist or vibe that will send people back in time? JR: I do a lot of programming for my radio show depending on what is happening in the Twin Cities as far as upcoming shows, upcoming events, and what time of year it is. It’s a different theme each week. If it’s springtime, I’ll do some more “sunshine” pop There’s always someone good coming to town that’s in the Transmission wheelhouse. It’s also a very personal thing. The music that I play is very personal and meaningful to me, but I’ve been told through emails and conversations through the years, that people relate with the music that I play. A big chunk of who I relate to is fellow Gen Xers. I think some millennials and younger might tune into the show because they were raised with this music from their parents’ record collection. How much of your own personal nostalgia is ingrained in Transmission? JR: All of it. Yeah. And I think that’s what makes it real. I think that’s what people relate to, and they know that it’s authentic and organic. Like, “Ok, this dude knows what he’s talking about, he lived it, and he’s still excited about it today.” I’ve been told by people that it’s kind of contagious, the excitement I have. I’m just kind of a weirdo when it comes to music. That’s my life. I wake up, and I put music on, and it’s with me all day until I go to bed.

“It’s also a very personal thing. The music that I play is very personal and meaningful to me” I’m sure a lot of people are like that, but afraid to admit it. JR: Oh many people totally are. But some people are able to turn it off and focus on their day job. Whereas I have a soundtrack going to almost every part of my day. You know, walking the dog, preparing a meal, or playing with my daughter, all of those things have music going on in the background, but I’ll change it up for whatever I’m doing. How does your role as a DJ help you connect to people and their own personal experience with the music you play? Or how you interact with listeners and get feedback from them? JR: Every week after the radio show I’ll always get at least a few emails, and obviously social media helps. There’ll usually be a lot of tweets and comments on facebook regarding each program like “Oh my god, I haven’t heard this song in forever!” or “I can’t wait, they’re coming to town in November!” Those are great conversation starters, and I’m always one to interact with the listeners.

So when you’re planning your radio shows, is it all your personal selections or do listeners even contribute? JR: I would say its 95 percent my picks. People have requests for themes to do on my show, and I’ll definitely reach out and ask for suggestions. There’s definitely been some great ideas that I’ve used in the shows. But usually I’m the one programming each show and making all the picks. I’m very request-friendly at my dance nights, though. The radio show is live, but all the songs are preprogrammed and I know what I’m playing. Whereas at the club, people come up to me constantly, and I end up playing around 20 to 30 requests, which is almost half the gig. The requests are from people who understand what Transmission is though, and they request within the wheelhouse of Transmission. Throughout the tenure of the radio show, has the genre of the 80s & 90s decade-focused music stayed pretty consistent? JR: I would say 80s much more so than the 90s. The 80s just never seem to die. Ever. I’ve been DJing 80s music publicly as a club gig since the mid-90s when 80s music was kind of not in fashion, but there were a handful of us that loved it. But then grunge music killed everything, and it wasn’t cool to listen to synth music anymore, and now synth music couldn’t be more hot thanks to the resurgence of synth wave, vapor wave, Stranger Things, movies like Drive, etc. Do you feel like the show has evolved over time to the resurgence in 80s music and culture popularity? Or has your approach to the show changed? JR: The thing about the radio show is there is no live dance floor, so I can do some deep cuts. Whereas people on the dance floor may only respond to music that they know. A big part of Transmission is educational too for a lot of

people. I’ll do b-sides, non-singles, deep album tracks, genres people haven’t even heard of before… it’s just nice to be able to do that. But yeah, my personal numbers on social media have really risen over the last few years, and Stranger Things has certainly helped me with more people interested in the music behind it. In fact, I base all of my Halloween dance nights around Stranger Things and I’ve gone with each year in the show. So the first year I played music from 1983, then now I’m up to 1985. They’re super fun, and they sell out every year. Do you often bring in other cultural references, like movies and television, into your shows? JR: For the radio show, I’ll use clips depending on the themes. Like if it’s movies from the 80s, I’ll use clips from the trailers or the movies in between the songs. That definitely spurs the nostalgia factor even more. What do you think about the relation of nostalgia and design? JR: Some of my favorite designers use nostalgia integrated in their designs, just like a lot of the designers I use for my gig posters. They’ll take references from nostalgic designers, such as Peter Saville, a famous record cover designer. For your Transmission dance nights, what is a typical crowd like and what is the overall vibe like? How would you describe it in a couple words? JR: Energetic. Open-minded. Receptive. The idea of “immersive nostalgia therapy” from the Black Mirror episode San Junipero reminds me a bit of Transmission. Have you seen the show? JR: Yeah wasn’t it set in 1987? That was one of the best episodes for sure.

“Oh my god,

I haven’t heard

this song

in foreVer” 4

An interview with a music therapist

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I work daily with folks with dementia and/or Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease. Within this population, I almost exclusively utilize live music (my playing) from their young adult years, say late teen and early 20s ages, as this is the music they most enjoy and remember very well. I often develop sessions based on an idea or theme (like autumn) and use music they know within the session to prompt movement, speech, reminiscence, reduce anxiety/agitation, etc. Music engages the whole brain so it is a great medium to evoke change. I often find residents are able to wake up and stay awake, or sing along to familiar lyrics, or remember picking apples as a child with the music interventions. Music is a wonderful way to bring back memories from the past! It is also a wonderful way to decrease anxiety and agitation and stress. I have found that music therapy is an aid for physical and mental wellness! Music can stimulate movement and increase mood.â&#x20AC;? - Stephanie Besaw, Music Therapist

SONGS

ABOUT NOSTALGIA

via consequence of sound

IRON & WINE – “THE TRAPEZE SWINGER” If anyone can glide frictionlessly across nine minutes of gentle memories, it’s Sam Beam. “Please remember me,” he begs some longlost childhood friend turned lover, braiding fondly recalled days from his past together with images of angels, Heaven, and graffitispangled pearly gates. And really, in the world of this song, there’s no difference between eternal reward and the feeling you hunger for through your best memories. There’s no difference between watching a trapeze swinger flip toward the sky with the person you love the most and finally clawing up to the place you’re supposed to end up if you’re good. That’s the secret hope buried in nostalgia: the feeling that maybe, if you make it, you’ll finally get back to the warm places you remember. –Sasha Geffen

BRYAN ADAMS – “SUMMER OF ’69” In contrast to most of the songs on this list, Bryan Adams’ mega-hit “Summer of ’69” looks back on better days with fondness rather than melancholy. His references to drive-ins and five-and-dime stores are sepiatoned and obvious, but they hit home for the twenty- and thirtysomethings listening to FM radio at the time. People related to this song… the tale of unrequited juvenile romance, the innocence of youth, and the pain of dwelling on such memories. When Adams concedes that “nothing can last forever,” he’s making that reconciliation for a whole generation of young adults. And it’s a universal message, because one can become lost in the present if they cling to the past. –Jon Hadusek

RILO KILEY – “MY SLUMBERING HEART” “Am I asleep or awake?” Jenny Lewis asks as she matures out of childhood and into the present. She sees herself hitting a home run

“it’s a universal message, because one can become lost in the present if they cling to the past” on the baseball field, smiling and rounding the bases with the kind of triumph that can make your whole week when you’re a kid. Then she’s climbing a mountain with a partner, then finally she’s waking up next to that same partner with that same good feeling of being Little League MVP. The song breaks out into the best kind of nostalgia—the one that’s triggered, unintentionally, by the situation that’s actually around you, the one you don’t have to reach too far to find. –Sasha Geffen

THE WHITE STRIPES – “WE’RE GOING TO BE FRIENDS” Innocence is underrated. Too often it’s conflated with naivety and subsequently dismissed or derided. “We’re Going to Be Friends”, the elementary school acoustic ditty from The White Stripes’ breakthrough, 2001’s White Blood Cells, revels in innocence, when the biggest worry you might have had a teacher thinking that you sound funny. It’s arranged in a reflectively simple manner, something that the children depicted in the song’s schoolhouse could learn and play for each other. It’s sweet, warm, and human, three elements that are surprisingly difficult to pull off in a rock song, but work here to repaint your entire childhood in the rosiest of hues. –Chris Bosman 12

What is a song or band you associate with your

CHILDHOOD OR

TEENAGE years?

(And What memories or feeling do you associate with that music?) 4

Passion Pit ; Aragon ballroom concert

The Beatles. It reminds me of good times in my childhood.

Sum 41, makes me want to dance/reminds me of hang outs with friends Sugar Ray and The Offspring take me back to my high school days. The song “No Diggity” by Blackstreet always reminds me of my adolescent years and cleaning the bathrooms on Sundays while listening the “America’s Top 40” countdown. Fall Out Boy - Reminds me of traveling Spain in high school Backstreet Boys - it reminds me of going to my first concert with my entire family. We got t-shirts and sang the songs in the car together on the way home, voting for who was the best singer. Modest Mouse reminds me of my first love in high school and all the time we spent together Carly Simon - You’re so Vain. I remember sitting in the back of my moms station wagon with my Girl Scout troop all singing together.

Death Cab For Cutie Green Day: angst but rebellion at the same time Buy U a Drank by T-Pain! This reminds me of my 8th grade trip to Washington DC, and the end of middle school and the transition to high school in general. It makes me happy because it’s a goofy song that reminds me of some fun times. Any songs by Led Zeppelin, Bee Gees & The Supremes. Memories of dancing/ laughing with girlfriends at sleep overs. High school memories of happiness & care free times hanging out with my friends & family. 4 Source: Google Survey

AN INTERVIEW WITH

Wild Things ANTIQUEs

TAlking about the stories behind objects, the good and Bad Energy they hold, and the community it creates. 4

Wild Things Antiques is a full service vintage and antique storefront and online shop. The storefront location in Lyn-Lake, Minneapolis, Minnesota is home to a variety of wonders. It’s reminiscent of your crazy grandma’s basement. Wild Things is owned by Joshua Larson and David Wenzel, and this interview is with David. Where did your passion for vintage and antiquing originate? Wild Things: I’ve always been a collector since I was little whether it was coins, baseball cards, or Native American artifacts. And then when I was a preteen, my parents opened an antique shop. My mom did dried flowers, like for our neighbors and to do craft shows. Well, a woman that my Dad worked with was opening a antique shop near where my parents lived. And she needed help, like with coverage for the shop, and basically the dried flower arrangement to complement her stuff because this was back in the 90s. Victorian and arts and crafts and very traditional antique stuff was popular, so like dried flower arrangements went perfect with that. So my parents basically sold handmade crafts through the antique shop and that was kind of their rent for that space. And then I’d spend multiple days after school there. And being you know, gosh, I don’t even know, maybe 11 or 12 when I started and you know, just being a kid that liked weird stuff. And then a couple years down the road, she decided to close her shop, and my parents had the crazy idea of opening their own antique shop and they opened it up. Pretty much from day one, I was going to auctions and yard sales and pretty much anything and everything with my parents. That’s how my brain is wired, I very much remember who made what. Like I can look at something and say this is made by this company,

and this is from 1940s or 1950s. So the way my brain is wired works perfectly for antiques. I just got bit by the bug of finding and selling cool stuff. I used to go to auctions when I was 14, and there would be 70-year-olds there like “What is this kid doing here?” and now I love to see kids at auctions because it reminds me of myself when I was younger. How do you source your inventory? Do you go out and buy everything or do people ever bring things to you? WT: All of the above, so we will go to estate sales, thrift stores, auctions, flea markets, you name it. If we’re out, we’ll just kind of be there running around or heading somewhere and pull over if you see like a yard sale, because you never know what you’re gonna find and where you’re gonna find it. We look everywhere. Since we’re brick and mortar, sometimes people bring us stuff, which is awesome. Once people come into the store, they get a sense for our vibe. We also have a pretty strong online presence. So like search engine optimization with our website, everything in stores is online, so you get keywords that people started like googling stuff. Like whether you know, grandma’s downsizing or somebody passed away in a family and clearing out the house. I’m getting multiple calls a week from people who are selling stuff, which is awesome because we can spend our time with them, and make sure we’re being fair with them. I mean, we’ve sent people away to other people that either deal on like, more of the areas of stuff that they have or if it’s way above our pay grade we’ll say “Okay, so this is worth a lot of money, and we’re going to be honest with you, we don’t think we can fund it. We’ll tell you who to go to.” There was a time in Cincinnati, where our shop previously was before Minneapolis, where a guy came in the shop who was emptying his parents condo, and it was right down the street from our shop and he was like “Yeah, I’ve got some furniture” and he showed me pictures, and yeah, it looked like stuff we like. And I walk into the condo and I’m like, Holy Mother of Jesus. It was what 16

I call the Museum of Modern Art of Cincinnati. I mean, super high-end stuff that legitimately would be in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the entire condo, every wall was filled with that type of art. Like Picassos and like Renoir, like originals. And like signed Andy Warhols. It was so crazy. I was like “You’re going to be taking these to an auction house.” I think there’s a whole era of like, you never know what you’re going to find. And for us, it’s like, we’ll walk into places and we’ll walk right back out. Just either it’s there’s nothing there that fits our vibe, or there’s a bad juju or bad energy. Like we only buy stuff with good energy. Yeah, right. I can feel that. Talk about that more, that’s interesting. WT: We’re both non religious but old stuff can have energy and especially when you’re dealing with enthnographic art and antiques. You can feel when objects have a story in them. It’s easier to pick up on the bad vibes than the good vibes. And the bad vibes tell you “Nope, it’s time to leave.” But like there’s times we’ll find stuff that just has like the most amazing energy. We went to an estate sale in Cincinnati and there’s these two cute older ladies that lived here. They must have been sisters. We pieced together that they were actually lesbians. And that was just based off of everything in the house. And being you know, gay, you pick up on that vibe. But there were several things like “We have to have that!” just because the energy is too great. There’s a pair of stained glass window hanging things that are hearts that have the rainbow on it, like little segments of each color of the rainbow. That just spoke to us. And you know, stuff like that winds up staying at home a lot. Just because we have a hard time parting with stuff that has such awesome energy. If we love it and it has that good energy we’re like “Yeah, that’s ours.” Do people ever tell you stories behind certain objects? WT: All the time. Yeah, we deal with a lot of stories and a lot of memories. Where a customer 17

finds something that either like Grandma had or Great Grandma, or Great Aunt Sally had. Last Christmas, we had a woman come into our shop, and she frequented the shop often, like came in every month. She came in during the holidays, and we had a aluminum Christmas tree in the window with these pink glass ornaments on it. She started crying because either her great aunt or a great grandmother had those same ornaments and they got lost in a fire, and we had a whole tree full of them. She was like, “I hate to ruin your display, but I have to have these.” Especially with the holidays, we sell a lot of memories. It’s probably one of the coolest things that we get to do in this world is reconnect lost memories. And, you know, it’s funny, sometimes the most inanimate objects have such strong memories. Kitchenware is huge, like Pyrex and that type of stuff. You know, the bowl got broken over the years or got lost or, you know, the evil stepsister got the bowl, and now they want the bowl themselves. So they’re able to get something that reminds them of their grandma or one of their relatives, which is super cool. We have that happen pretty often. Pyrex is so nostalgic because everybody has a memory of either a grandma, great grandma or mom having this specific Pyrex pattern. It’s like they see it, and it immediately brings back memories. So that’s pretty cool. It kicks them back to a place in time, and sometimes they haven’t thought about something like that for 30 years. And they’re like, “Holy shit, somebody I know used to have those.” You just see them replaying a memory in their mind which is super cool. Is any of your own personal nostalgia tied to anything in the store? WT: I actually grew up around a lot of midcentury and I was really close to my grandma and grandpa. I spent every weekend up there, and I was always the closest to my great grandma, and my sister was close to my grandma. Her house was and still is a late 50s time capsule. I grew up around it so there are memories tied to it that I didn’t think about it until we started doing things like delivering stuff to people’s homes and seeing

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably one of the coolest things that we get to do in this world is reconnect

Lost Memories 4

insdie

Scenes from

Wild Things 4

it in their mid century house and this is why I love this because you find that right piece and it just fits in and feels like home. Why do you think in today’s world antiquing is important or valuable to people? I mean, I think you’ve kind of spoke on it a little bit. And what do you personally get out of it? WT: There’s so many different things. So we get up we see a lot of young adults stepping away from IKEA, realizing that they can get something that’s like comparable or cooler design, better quality, and either at the same price, or cheaper. So you see that happening. But it’s also a very green world because you’re keeping stuff out of landfills. You know, as opposed to buying a dresser from IKEA, you’re buying something gently used. It’s one of those things they get to find something cool that is unique to them. And that more than likely one of their friends is not going to have. It’s not like they just ran to IKEA and bought a dresser, instead they’re keeping stuff out of landfills, and kind of helping a little bit against mass production. We’ve got enough stuff in the world, like it just helps save the world a little bit in my opinion. What is your main clientele, is it a lot of Millennials, or is it all over the place? WT: It is insanely all over the place. That is one of the craziest things. We will have everybody from college kids to people in their 80s and 90s. And there’s kind of different reasons behind each group. Like you get the younger kids looking for cool stuff and they want something unique and different. They may not be the collector where they’d have to have one of every color, shape and size, but they want something cool and different. They want some awesome bar for when they have friends over. The older crowd are more likely to be collectors and looking for a specific piece. They’re trying to find that last piece for their collection. We collect this glass called Blenko, and it’s been made for 126 years, and we’re one of the strongest in that specific collector community. Honestly,

“it’s funny, sometimes the most inanimate objects have the strongest memories.” we never know who’s gonna walk in here which is awesome. By proxy, you meet so many cool people because of that. You meet a lot of kindred spirits of all ages, which is super cool. Like one of our really close friends in Cincinnati became our close friend just because she played in the same world of cool stuff. She loved everything that we loved and we loved everything that she loved and we’d go to estate sales together, we’d go to flea markets, sometimes she’d watch the shop for us. So you just meet people along the way that like the same cool stuff. I think there’s an affinity there. How much of Midwestern culture is within the antiques that you sell? WT: I think a lot of it because our customer base is what I call “middle class mid-century.” It’s this stuff that you would see in everybody’s home in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and Midwest is very middle class. So you walk into these estates and they’re time capsules, and I think it’s the value that Midwesterners put on things that they’re like “this is still a damn good dresser like why would I ever get rid of it?” So there’s definitely the value in appreciation for stuff where it’s not super disposable. And there’s a lot of amazing things that were made in the Midwest from a company called Home Crest here in Minnesota that did all 20

the super cool patio furniture. Like the vinyl sofa that’s in the foyer downstairs is Home Crest, and they’re based out of Minnesota. But then, like, the Blenko glass we collect is from West Virginia. A lot of the mid-century stuff was made in the Midwest. You know, there’s a few things that were made on the coast, but most of it happened to be in the heartland of America. Collecting local stuff is good, because people have a connection to it. How does antiquing build community and connections between people? Like between customers or collectors? WT: Collector communities are huge. Facebook has played an insanely integral role. There’s a collector group for pretty much everything. It’s been pretty cool seeing the online relationships build first-hand. One of our good online friends has become one of our friends up here. He was super excited that we moved up here because he knew us from our online presence, both on Facebook and through our website. And you know, it’s like, you get to meet like-minded people. The online world builds the friendship, but then like you get to meet people in person and I think it’s prevents a lot of barriers from friendships happening. It makes friendships easier to build because you’ve already interacted with them, you know a little bit about them because of the online relationship. But like the Twin Cities midcentury modern Facebook group has been super awesome. And being an outsider looking in at it,

“you just see customers replaying memories in their minds which is super cool.” it’s pretty awesome to be able to get our name out there. I’ve had people find us through the Twin Cities mid-century modern group multiple times already. From a customer standpoint, we throw events every month or so, like after hours with beer, wine and we have yet to do that up here, just because life’s been crazy, but in Cincinnati, we actually had multiple friendships form between customers because they’re hanging out, just shooting the shit, and they’re both looking at the same antique, and they were able to have a bond over something. I think that’s pretty cool, and I’m excited to see that happen up here.

MOVIES ABOUT NOSTALGIA

via hollywood.com & bfi.org

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Owen Wilson plays a frustrated screenwriter who inadvertently time-travels every night to experience the “golden age” of to 1920s Paris and never wants to leave. What is the golden age becomes increasingly unclear, as Allen hits us over the head with the lead writing about nostalgia, while experiencing nostalgia and pontificating about… you guessed it — nostalgia.

MID-90s Mid90s recreates Jonah Hill’s skateboarding 90s teenage years in LA via instantly familiar soundtrack, fashion and videogame references. Although the period is not completely idealised – 13-year-old hero Stevie must also navigate maternal neglect and sibling bullying at home – the result is a touching exploration of childhood bonds and the youthful need to break free

“Nostalgia is denial. Denial of the painful present. The name for this denial is Golden Age thinking the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.” -MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

checked shirts – paint the garage to The Archies’ ‘Sugar, Sugar’. There’s a simplicity of spirit in the film, with the friends bringing joy and fun to their everyday mundanities.

THE SANDLOT

CITIZEN KANE

This coming-of-age baseball film is filed along with Stand by Me under feel-good rainy day flicks about summer and childhood bonds that you never forget. Its Wonder Years-type narration didn’t bother us back in ‘93, but those were more innocent times then.

Anyone who took a film class elective has enjoyed (or been forced to enjoy, depending on who you ask) this film as the ultimate American story of a self-made man and the pitfalls of that success. Orson Welles as the publishing giant Hearst, mourns the loss of his childhood, but we’ll save the “rosebud debate” for another time.

NOW & THEN The film focuses on four friends who, now all grown up and apart, return to their childhood home in Indiana, summoning memories of the long, hot summer of 1970, when the friends navigated such tumultuous early teen pitfalls as parental divorce, body image and struggles with self-belief. There’s also a tender depiction of the endless pleasure and camaraderie that comes with school holidays: from water balloons and boys to bicycle adventures and a stand-out scene as the girls – wearing baggy

PLEASANTVILLE Pleasantville successfully mocks the wholesomeness and hypocrisy of the suburban 1950s by supplanting two modern teens into Leave-It-To-Beaverville. Its use of Technicolor as a metaphor in a black and white world is certainly obvious, but it holds up to this day and their 5 servings of starches served each morning is an appealing alternative to glutenfree scones with artisanal berries of today. 26

what

Tv show or

movie do you watch when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling nostalgic?

( Why is that? What feeling does it trigger in you?) 4

When Harry Met Sally ; not really sure ; makes me feel hopeful Gilmore Girls. Takes me back to when I was Rory’s age. Friends, it was on tv all the time on school nights. Makes me feel relaxed and more care free Gilmore Girls - Triggers feelings of friendship and family Love Actually

10 Things I Hate About You — reminds me of when I was younger and how much simpler my life was back then. The closest thing I can think of to properly answer this question was when I went back and watched “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” via Netflix. However, that was probably 12 years ago.

White Chicks. I remember watching this movie over and over again with friends. We could quote any line in the movie (and still do). Thinking of this time makes me happy and laugh thinking of how silly we all would act watching it together. Anastasia, it was my favorite movie as a child and i watched it all the time. I used to watch it when i was sick so it’s comforting Gunsmoke; watched it on Monday nights at home; remembering a time when I didn’t have much to worry about

Cool Runnings, it was one of my family’s favorite movies when I was growing up but it totally holds up for viewing as an adult. It still reminds me of Friday movie nights with my family. Any movie with Bing Crosby or Gene Kelly. My grandmother Nana introduced me to that genre of movies. 4 Source: Google Survey

TELEVISION ABOUT NOSTALGIA

via IMDB

BLACK MIRROR While this dystopian show about the horrors of technology covers a lot of ground, two of its episodes touch on the theme of nostalgia in a poigant way. First up, San Junipero, an episode that explores “immersive nostalgia therapy” for seniors to experience their youth again. The fun exploration of different decades, fashion, and music is enough to watch it for. The second episode that touches our memories is “Bandersnatch.” A “choose your own adventure” style episode gets every detail of the 80s down and provides a truly immersive experience while we choose the narrator’s actions throughout the day, from choice of cereal to choice of music.

MARVELOUS MISS MAISEL It’s 1958 Manhattan and Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she’s ever wanted: the perfect husband, kids, and an Upper West Side apartment. But when her life suddenly takes a turn and Midge must start over, she discovers a previously unknown talent, one that will take her all the way from the comedy clubs of Greenwich Village to a spot on Johnny Carson’s couch.

MAD MEN A drama about one of New York’s most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm’s most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.

STRANGER THINGS We all knew this would make the list. Immersing itself in a 1980s setting, the nostalgia is real from the fashion, music, arcade games, and even opening credits. A love letter to the ‘80s classics that captivated a generation, Stranger

Things is set in 1983 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family, and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl.

EVERYTHING SUCKS! Parodying mid-90s teen culture, this oneseason Netflix wonder truly encapsulated the fashion, music, and angst of a decade.

PEN15 Middle school during any time period is always either a poignant or painful experience for most of us. Maybe a little of both. This show, taking place in the early aughts, was a truly memorable experience.

THAT 70S SHOW Back in the days of Led Zeppelin 8-tracks, TaB colas, and Farrah Fawcett posters, “That ‘70s Show” continues to flashback to the times where bell bottoms were the hip thing. Set in the Wisconsin suburbs, the gang mostly likes to spend their time in Eric’s basement, pondering their lives, parents, and their futures, but they get into many funny mishaps and adventures in their teenage lives.

FREAKS AND GEEKS It’s the 1980s and at McKinley High, there’s two different groups of teenagers, the Freaks with cool and charismatic Daniel Desario and tomboy Lindsay Weir and the Geeks with Lindsay’s shy younger brother Sam, gentle Bill Haverchuck, and self-proclaimed ladies’ man Neal Schweiber. The show chronicles the normal teen/adolescence problems any teenager goes through including acceptance, drugs, drinking, and bullying. 30

The therapeutic power of memory How an ipad app about memories helps those with dementia connect with their loved ones

The easy to use My House of Memories: US app is free and allows you to explore objects from the past and share memories together. It can be used by anyone, but has been designed for, and with, people living with dementia and their caregivers. The app has pictures of objects from across the decades, which are brought to life with sound, music and descriptions, and provide an easy-to-use way to help people living with dementia explore things that resonate with them. You can browse the objects, which include everyday things such as a Tinkertoy set, a concert ticket, and a pair of Converse All Stars and you can save your favorite objects to a digital memory tree, box, or timeline. The app has a “My Memories” feature, which enables users to upload their own photos to share precious personal memories with the people they care for living with dementia.

Do you want to tell me a little bit of your background and your involvement in the House of Memories app? Maren Levad: My name is Maren Levad and I am the museum access specialist here. I got involved working with dementia because about 10 years ago, there was a huge study out of the Museum of Modern Art MoMA in New York in conjunction with Met Life. They did a big study on how looking at art can help people with dementia. Then they created what’s called Meet me at MoMA, which is a national training program to train people and museums to do similar programs based on the research that they’ve done. The thing is, it was very Art Museum centered, and most people are more likely to have a historical society in their area than an art museum. Also, history museums collect a lot of stuff. Art can absolutely spark conversation and engagement, but we just have a ton of stuff here that are everyday objects, so it seems like a missed opportunity for history museums not to be in the game. We were then looking at lifelong learners as part of our strategic priority. One of the things about lifelong learners who we are looking at specifically are baby boomers who are now caring for their parents, or their partners who may be on the dementia journey. We did a lot of research as to how we could take our resources and the research that had been done to better serve that population. We started with traditional museum tours, then we got a big grant to partner with the UK who had this program called My House of Memories. Then we spent four years converting their program into one that met a US model. All the objects in our app were tested over two years with people with dementia. The difference in museums working with dementia is museums tend to put out the singular exceptional, the only and that’s really what people come to see off what they say they come see often. However, we have a 32

lot of stuff that we don’t display, and we don’t tend to digitize because it doesn’t get funded, is that universal object. That’s what you really look for when you’re working with someone with dementia. When you’re working one-on-one with someone with dementia, you can certainly get really specific. But when you’re working with the whole state, or you’re developing an app, you’re looking for the universal object. You see a lot of reminiscing programs that just take the free stock images that are out there, like maybe people are just gardening. But the reality is, there’s not much to say about stock images. So we really look for images, photographs, objects, where even if you didn’t garden, maybe there’s more than one entry point. Nostalgia is lovely and wonderful, but as you progress through the disease, there’s certain things like you might not have your long term memory anymore, you might start losing words. So you want to be able to have an object that allows you to talk about the past so chosen, but also able to make up a story, or just talk about what you’re looking at, its beauty, what have you, so that nostalgia is not the only thing you’re relying upon. I think we have a tendency to assume what someone is going to be nostalgic about depending on the decade they lived in. Maybe sometimes when people begin with mild cognitive impairment and then progress, the things that they love to do, like, great, let’s get them a fishing rod or let’s get them looking at pictures of fish. But some people are like, “No, I fished my whole life. I’m done. Like I can’t do it.” What they want to talk about really depends on the person, and when you have universal objects, you are allowed to kind of discover new things about people who might have dementia. Because our app is randomized, you might suddenly realize that they want to talk about basketball, even though you never knew that 33

they even thought about basketball. So then we developed a training program. We have activity cards, which show how to use objects in your house to start conversation, and then we have our app. It launched in the UK four or five years ago, and then the US app launched last year. So has the app been successful so far? ML: I mean, I think so. I think with anything, it’s about getting people using it, knowing about it, expanding that when possible. But I think one of the things is really just showing people the tools that are kind of at their own disposal as well. So that’s what those activity cards are for. Maybe you don’t have the app or maybe you want to have some 3-D objects. There are recommendations of themes and museum techniques we use to kind of spark conversation. How were the objects selected and curated? ML: So we knew from the UK curatorial team, that we really had to focus on that universal object. We went to Alzheimer’s Association conventions, and we went to community events with people with dementia, and we had a big poster of the basic objects. So we just started there. But what we found is that what people think they want is oftentimes very different than what they want. So for instance, one of the top things that we got when we went out was a cap gun. It was like a 1950s toy guns that like make a pop, right? But no matter what, how you shoot a picture of that, it looks like a gun. Right? So people who have cognitive impairment want to know why you’re kind of getting distressed and why you’re showing them a picture of a gun. So instead we used a picture of two boys in front of a Christmas tree dressed up like cowboys with their cap guns, and that was a smashing success. Then we traveled all over the state with people who were from here, people who had recently moved here, and people who have lots of

“I think we have a tendency to assume what someone is going to be nostalgic about depending on the decade they lived in.” different cultural backgrounds. Also we observed people who were 45 and early onset, and those people who are 95 closely because their touchstones are going to be really different. We would test 20 objects at a time, and we had like a cardboard version of the app or we would show them a picture. Then we would just see with their care partner if a conversation would spark, or sometimes if they were non verbal, you would get to feel comfortable and see like what they were interested in looking at and what they weren’t, and what brought them joy. Then as we took notes, we then developed a pack of 20 universal objects. After testing with, like 10 people, you could kind of see which ones were like, “Oh, this is not working, pull this out.” We had larger discussions with what’s called “the gathering.” So those are volunteer respites, where people get dropped off every Tuesday with a huge group of volunteers, and so they were a lot more talkative and were giving us a lot of good feedback. And we were like, well, what are we missing? So every time we would be testing a pack of 20 and after we would take things out that totally failed and try

new things, and then after a while, there are certain ones that were really solid. Some people don’t want 47 sports things. So it was like, okay, it looks like we’re covering sports and home stuff, but what kind of world events can we add? So then you start building from there. So is the app and collection mostly just focus in Minnesota right now? ML: Our collection is focused on Minnesota, but we tried to be as universal with our objects. There are certainly things that involve snow or figure skating. But in general, we tried to be pretty universal even in that. So yes, maybe the baseball is from the Minnesota Twins, but it’s still universal to look at a baseball. So maybe the parade is from a local parade, but marching bands had similar outfits throughout the country. Our goal is to absolutely expand the app with museum collections from around the country, and be a little bit more inclusive, and strengthen certain cultural areas. Like we don’t have strength going on in say, the Latino collection. We’re just now starting to try to collect 70s and 80s stuff, because oftentimes people are still keeping them. They’re not ready to part with them or it’s just we’re still collecting other things. So we would love to partner with other museums that have stronger collections outside of what we collect. Can you talk about the variety of categories on the app? ML: There are many childhood things. There’s fashion, holidays, military, school, travel, work, shopping, music, food, entertainment, family life, hobbies, leisure, and rural life. In the childhood category, there are a couple toys, but there’s also the reality that a lot of kids didn’t grow up with toys, so that’s really like a place of privilege to have had toys. So there are other things that focus more on experiences, like say, the tire swing, sleepover parties, going to the fair 34

and certain treats you remember. So we also recognize that some people have very specific rural experiences, and so we have a section for that as well. This is a randomized thing, so there are a lot of toys, but yeah, we focus on a lot of things beyond toys. So in the shopping section, you’re going to see like a cereal box, you’re going to see hand spear sign, which is very localized. Right? But no, it’s not just toys. Because that kind of diminishes people into being just kids. So it could be like something they remember from not just their childhood, but other parts of their lives as well. Marriage, having kids...What lunchbox did you carry? What books did you enjoy reading? And Food is a huge theme. And Military. Obviously lots of people have served or have had family that serves and so we tested with a large group of veterans. They were very insistent on having all the way through Korea and Vietnam. Korea represented all branches of the military, and they were very specific about all the different things. But in general, it’s really a point of pride, so we have a lot of the uniforms, recruitment posters, money, and k rations. So that’s really what we focus on, rather than the violent experiences. How do you see this app evolving over time? ML: You know, as each new generation gets older, it certainly needs to be kind of a constant. I’m not saying this will happen because it’s funding dependent, but it should be updated to expand on the cultures that are represented. 35

There is an opportunity to put your own images in here as well, but that is not the main focus of this app because it doesn’t blend in with our museum stuff, it’s a separate section of the app. For instance, a great example is this lunch box. Most people did not have this lunch box. However, I showed a ton of different lunch boxes and depending on what generation you were, you either went home for lunch or you got hot lunch, or you carried it in a strawberry shortcake or like a you know Flash Gordon lunch box. Was it plastic? Was it tin? Was it a brown paper bag? However, this is a cultural thing. So even though most people that we talked to did not have this lunch box, this is what they thought of this is when you said lunch box, and when they got nostalgic about it. It was this black rounded top for the thermos to buckle and a leather strap. Their dad had it on TV. Even though lunch boxes changed generationally, this still sparks the conversation. It’s the same thing with typewriters. So once again, we worked with somebody who was in his early 50s, he was about midway, kind of like stage two dementia, and then we also talked with someone that same day, she was like 95. During one of the wars, she was a secretary, and she typed on this exact typewriter.

Like, he was like, “No, I had an apple computer.” But he still remembers this being in his house and it being interesting for him to press the keys. So again, this is not something that everyone used, but there is that sense of nostalgia around it? Well, you didn’t use a typewriter. What did you use? And then they can talk about what they use? Yeah, that’s interesting, too, it is such a big like age gap. But they both kind of resonate with it. So that’s why you have to have really universal things. So one of the things that was always really popular is a bike everyone had. Everyone probably didn’t have this exact bike, but you can describe what your bike looked like or an experience on a bike or you might want to go on a bike. Very few people had this kitchen. This is an advertisement for a very fancy high end kitchen. Most people didn’t have a dishwasher, they didn’t have one of those coffee makers. They certainly didn’t stand in their kitchen looking like this and a little dress. However, it kind of flooded their memories through television and through media. Some people they’ll immediately say, “I didn’t have that kitchen,” but they recognize it. When you’re working with somebody with the app, how do you know what is going to trigger a memory for them? ML: So this was designed by people with dementia for people with dementia, so it’s super easy to use. There’s no swiping because that’s confusing to the older generation, right? So you press this randomizer, and some of it you can see is kind of connected to food because that’s the one I selected. You can search. But what I find is when your search you are putting someone in a

“So even though most people that we talked to did not have this lunch box, this is what they thought of this is when you said lunch box, and when they got nostalgic about it.” box, you’re saying like “my mom likes sports, here are the seven sports things we can talk about. Now I’m done with the app,” and it’s really meant to be an investigation and enjoyment with people because I have talked to a gentleman who will never spend any time in the kitchen but you’ll name these people, or you’ll talk about cookies, or if you like cookies, or don’t like cookies, right? Everything in here is meant to kind of 36

spark conversation and they can control it. So they can be like, Oh, what’s that? And then they might want to look at it bigger and then you can engage and then we always have an engaging question at the end like “do you find fishing, relaxing or boring?” So that kind of draws them out further if you’re not trained as a facilitator because facilitators are really good at just coming up with questions on the spot. So yeah, I mean, most people are not going to pick my mom wants to look at a poppy but they might just think it’s pretty right. So with dementia there is an element of nostalgia but there’s also an element of people constantly surprising you especially with cognitive impairments. So you kind of have to be open to wherever it takes you. Some of these have sound too, which can really spur memories for people whether it’s music or just a sound. You can obviously turn it off if you want but it helps people kind of like be a part of the photo. Music is incredibly connected and rare. So it’s important that we have that element in here, wherever we can. So what are some of the initial reactions you see from people who have dementia who have used the app? ML: They use this app for the first time, and I think it’s just fun. It’s just a source of joy. I think the main reactions you see are with the caregivers who are constantly surprised by the things that their loved one is interested in or makes up. Being a caregiver is incredibly stressful and incredibly emotional. Oftentimes the person that you love most in the world doesn’t know who you are, and then beyond that you are trying to live your own life while also making sure somebody does not hurt themselves at three in the morning when they start pacing. Or asks the same question 47 times while you’re trying to make dinner. So you kind of get bogged down in the logistics of survival, and this is an opportunity to just kind of have fun. It guides 37

you through engagement with the text and the questions, and people who work outside of museums, can often forget the power of objects. So what I would do when I was first testing this app is I would bring a box of stuff from our education collection, and I would sit in caregiver support groups, and I would just pass everyone an object. The first time I did it, I had an activity plan, but I couldn’t get them to shut up. So just everyone was like, “Oh my god, I had this shirt,” “Oh my god, I love these new buttons, like I used to wear these in the 80s these are amazing,” “Oh, I love peanuts.” And so they recognize without me even having any formalized process that if you select the right objects that spark with someone, people talk about it. We tend to surround ourselves with just the accoutrement of day to day life, but when you pull out something that maybe someone hasn’t seen in a while or thought about in a while, it just sparks conversation, and that is what is so powerful about this. Also, I don’t know why I’m sharing this right now, but I was watching this comedy special last night and this guy grew up in the 80s like I did, he was talking about how going to the drinking fountain was like a big deal. Because you would have to count to like one Mississippi two Mississippi and I had this like literal visceral moment of like, “Oh my god, I haven’t thought about the fact that we used to have three Mississippi to have a sip of water and then we had to move because there were 35 kids in your class.” Yeah, we brought a water bottle to school right? So like you got to go to my drinking fountain like once a day, three Mississippi’s to like load up on that water. I was just like, “Oh my god, I haven’t thought about that in forever,” and objects can do the same thing. An app like this allows you to have a whole box of objects without carrying it around, so somebody doesn’t have to go to a museum to have to do this.

“That’s why I get really weird with the word ‘nostalgia’ because again, I think nostalgia, people think Andy Griffith, they think right. But again, that’s white middle class nostalgia.”

That’s funny because when I was interviewing an antique store owner, he was kind of saying the same thing of like, sometimes the most inanimate objects or everyday could sometimes trigger an emotional reaction from somebody more than anything else. ML: Yeah, definitely, I’ve had that reaction as well. So when we do tours for people with memory loss, the things that we try to have are objects, and we try to have personal connection, music, and one other sense so as many senses as you can get in the game, so we play the organ and we usually have something to eat. So whether it is like Christmas cookie, Irish soda bread, what have you. We generally try to have a scent. Though as you age, your sense of smell tends to diminish, and so whenever possible, it’s best to have something to touch, whether it’s fabric, or that sort of thing. So as much sensory play you can get in that kind of helps up the nostalgia factor or the connection to the topic. Do you ever find that like an object triggers a painful or unpleasant memory? And can that ever be a good thing? ML: I cannot think of a specific time that’s ever happened to me. The times that I do see people, dementia because of the parts of your brain that it affects. Your amygdala is sometimes like hyper

active, so you’ll have people on a tour, cried the whole time, but has nothing to do with you. You will have, you know, a time the emotions tend to come from the feeling of loneliness, confusion, or underlying pain. I think the thing that I really am clear about when I train people is that there is a point when family photos are not the best. So you’ll notice in our app, we don’t have any pictures of like a bunch of people standing around because people with dementia will be like, “Am I supposed to know that person?” and then there’s that feeling of like “Why don’t I know who those people are?” So looking at family photos can be lovely, but it can also be treacherous because there’s an emotional way to the caregiver of wanting that person to remember. Then that person feels it whether or not they’re communicating it or not. They can sense that there’s an expectation on them that they can’t meet, and that feels like failure. So our job with object selection is to really make it not be about it’s not a quiz. It’s there’s no right or wrong. How do you see the relationships between caregivers and people with dementia improve using this app? ML: Dementia is a memory thing. I’m not expecting that for the rest of their lives, they’re going to 38

be better. It’s really about in the moment. Can you make that quality of moment, better. And it really is just kind of like a weight off the caregivers shoulders of like we can enjoy ourselves for 15 minutes, right? I think the other things that I really see is oftentimes, there’s a lot of laughter and there’s a lot of just surprise in the things that family members remember or talk about or make up, and we’re totally fine with that. Like if they see a picture of basketball and they talk about the fact that they love to play basketball and their spouses, like they never played basketball in their whole life. Like, what an interesting story they’ve come up with, like, I’d love to hear about your basketball career. So it’s really not about being correct. It’s not about being historically accurate or a personal story accurate, but we can sometimes hear some really funny stories that may be true, may be not. But it’s an enjoyable experience nonetheless. What kinds of stories do people usually tell when they are using the app? Or do you find that that’s a common reaction? ML: Every person with dementia is completely different because dementia is something where you can’t actually say where they are until you cut their brain open. You can’t actually say if they’re like mild state, we have terms like, like 123. So it starts with MCI and goes to like three but there’s no medical procedure for figuring out where they are. You’re just like, they’re like midway through that journey. So there’s no way to actually tell how far along they have progressed except for symptoms like maybe they don’t have words anymore. Maybe they are incontinent, maybe their personality has changed. But that really just tells you like what parts of their brain are eroding. So, the problem is with people with dementia, every person is so different. So you can’t say like, oh, these are the stories that I hear because every person is totally different, right? Also some of them are nonverbal.

Do you see resources similar to this app continuing to increase in the future? ML: I do think so. dementia is one of our big issues and because the number one risk factor for dementia is age, so as our population ages, you’re just going to get more people with dementia. 40 years people weren’t able to live as long, and also the baby boomers are the biggest generation. There’s a lot of people who are 50 to 65 right now, so that’s a huge generation and as they age, that’s a bigger generation than everyone else, population wise, and they’re living longer. So that’s why there’s an increase in dementia. You know, 50 years ago, most people didn’t make it to 90, and once you pass 65, then 75, your risk factor increases. So that is why it’s massively increasing, and it’s going to continue and it’s a huge burden on our infrastructure, as well as caregivers. That’s why this is really important that it’s for caregivers as well as, because 70% of people with dementia want to stay in their own homes. Also it affects people’s sleep, their stress level, and the doctor’s appointments, so it’s just a huge societal issue. So yeah, I could see resources like this even becoming more common. I also get really weird with the word “nostalgia” because again, I think nostalgia, people think Andy Griffith, they think right. But again, that’s white middle class nostalgia. If you go to North Minneapolis, and you talk to their elders, and you say like, “what toys did you play with?” and they’re like “what toys?” I think nostalgia is like this machine of baby boomers who remember like the Beatles, and going to college, and that is a very specific lens. There’s also when you hear that word nostalgia, I feel like is a little bit of those like rose colored glasses. And just to understand that it’s so different for each person.

Activities to spark memories MAKE A MEMORY BOX A memory box is a way of collecting objects, memorabilia, and photographs relating to the past and keeping them all in one place. You can create your own general or themed memory box to help engage the people you are caring for.

CREATE A MEMORY TIMELINE A timeline is a way of gathering and representing memories in chronological order. It is an activity to which everyone, including families, can contribute. It can also make a very attractive display.

LISTEN TO MUSIC TOGETHER

CREATE A MEMORY TREE

Music is a powerful tool for any reminiscence experience. It is particularly valuable for people who may respond to songs long after their ability to remember recent events has gone. This is because music is stored in the “emotional memory,” which can sometimes last longer than practical memory.

A memory tree is a way of collecting an individual’s memories. You can create a “tree” with paper, make a 3D tree, or even using a real tree in a garden space.

Remember me... Remember me... Remember me... Remember me... Drop Your Memories at @romanticdistoritions on Instagram 4