The Stories We Keep

We collect things that represent who we are or what we care about. But what if you had to leave your home for good? What is the one thing you can't live without?

This project is based on a format and technology platform we created for the Biennale of Sydney titled Belongings, which was about people who had to make that very decision. For one participant, it was a memory forever locked inside a purse; for another, it was a protective necklace; and for a third, the scent of a beloved family member left behind was soaked into cloth. Their belongings are a lifeline imbued with ancestry, family, home, and belonging.

The Stories We Keep will share the lived experiences of six Ecuadorian refugees, each told through the lens of a valuable possession.