The words ‘sense of place’ can varying meanings for different people. It can be a geographic location, a feeling or even a person or object. What I would like to explore is the idea of momentos and how these can help people that may not be with their family/friends/significant other feels that they have a sense of place; specifically passport portraits that are commonly kept in wallets and purses. This idea came from being stuck on the checkouts in a supermarket for hours at a time – often when people flip their wallets open, I get a glimpse of someone’s husband, wife, mother, daughter or loved one. This viewing feels almost secret as if I am seeing something I shouldn’t be, and for a brief moment, I get a personal insight into someone’s life.

This then leads to a series of thoughts about why people keep photos of their loved ones in their wallets, and it is often because they have lost a loved one, they are far away, or they cannot see them as often as they wish; meaning that to them, a photo or memorable object gives one a feeling of reassurance, or, a sense of place.

Personally, in my own wallet, I carry a passport photo of my boyfriend and a photo of us both, taken in the winter of 2017 by a close friend. When I look at these photos, it reminds me of the quiet and coldness of home and makes me feel nostalgic towards this period of my life. So, I am interested in how other peoples’ keepsakes make them feel, why they’ve chosen such an object to carry around with them and what the object means to them.