Lost and Found

『Etsy』のサイトにちょっと感動する記事があったので備忘録として。


『Finding Meaning in the Lost and Found,

Many of us have lost an object that we value — a piece of jewelry, a childhood trinket or a favorite jacket. Against the odds, we hope that somehow our belongings will find their way back home. When Ikuo Yokoyama received a call that his Harley Davidson motorcycle was discovered washed up on the shores of Canada after being swept away during the Japanese tsunami, he was absolutely shocked. Yokoyama, who lost three family members during the tragedy, was contacted by the Harley Davidson company, who promised to restore the bike and return it to him.

In his incredibly moving documentary Objects and Memory, filmmaker Jonathan Fein focuses on objects that survived tragic events like the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, showing how a mundane, ordinary thing can be transformed into a repository for memories. The film features interviews with people like Mike Telesca, an off-duty fireman who rushed to the World Trade Center to offer assistance. While making his escape, the South Tower collapsed, trapping Telesca and three other firefighters. Telesca survived, but when he regained consciousness, he realized he had lost his helmet. In Fein’s documentary, Telesca holds his tattered helmet, which was eventually found and returned to him. “A helmet means a lot to a fireman, and it took a couple of months to get this one back to me,” he says. “It kind of sums up your whole career — a lot of pride goes into your helmet — and it’s probably the only piece that I cared about getting back.”

Telesa’s story was just one of many that developed in the aftermath of 9/11, as sanitation workers sifted through 8 million tons of debris to recover objects. Wedding rings, wallets, toy cars and other items were saved, and returned to families if possible. ”What’s interesting about objects is that they help us tell stories…but without a story, an object is meaningless,” says Fein in an interview with Tulsa Public Radio. Fain explains how historians and sanitation workers had to shift their thinking when dealing with the objects recovered in the weeks after 9/11: “Well traditionally, [historians] can’t tell if something is important until 50 years go by. But in our fast-paced society, they knew that whatever they didn’t save would be thrown away.” Suddenly, mundane objects like office papers, filing cabinets and staplers were coveted by some of the survivors, who sought a tangible and personal memorial of their experience.

When an object is lost then unexpectedly found, it’s nothing short of a miracle. “I think it was Ed Linenthal who expressed it best: ‘Objects that have traveled through space and time make us feel that we are traveling through time and space,’” explains Fein. Yokoyama’s motorcycle is no longer just a bike — it’s a poignant representation of survival against the odds and the unexpected capacity to endure.』

あるがままの存在として、その機能以外に特別な意味を持たない「モノ」と言う物質が、所有者との関わりを通して、時間を重ねて、「モノ」以上の意味を持つ現実。

世界中で話題を呼んだ、１年前の地震と津波に依って失ったハーレー・ダヴィッドソンのバイクがカナダの西海岸に漂着し、所有者である男性に遥々、海を越えて届けられる、、、と言うエピソードも然り。

単なる「モノ」としてのモーターバイクに、自然災害と言う現実と、時間と場所を越えた旅を経て辿り着いた様々に関わる人々の想いの連鎖と、失ったと思って絶望する喪失感の中でまさかの再会と言う奇跡と、そんなこんなの想像も付かない程の意味合いが加わって。

飽くまでも想像でしかないけれど、所有者の男性にとってはきっと、運命的な生涯の宝物になるんだろうと察する。

９／１１での消防士と彼のヘルメットの話題も印象的で。

時々、モノに対する執着心の強さに、少なからず罪悪感みたいなものを感じる私ではあるけれど、こういう記事を読むと救われると言うか。

やっぱりモノとの出逢いには時空を越えた運命みたいなものがあったりするような気がするし、それはモノとの関わりを通じてのロマンみたいな。

最近、Etsyを通してその魅力を発見したヴィンテージ（アンティーク程に古くはない年代物）のアクセサリーなんかにも、まさにソレ（時空を越えた運命）を感じるのかも？

単に身に付けるだけでなく、過去の所有者（達）の歴史や想いを共有するような気がして。

ちょっぴり不思議な気持ち。