Ning-Hui Chung

Susan Stewart’s On Longing is a foundational study on how objects and scale shape memory, desire, and identity. She examines the symbolic roles of the miniature, the gigantic, the souvenir, and the collection. The miniature contains vast worlds within small forms, evoking intimacy and childhood memory. The gigantic overwhelms the body, symbolizing power and authority. Souvenirs preserve fragments of personal history, turning absence into presence, while collections organize fragments into systems of remembrance and control.

Stewart’s ideas are central to my research. Her reflections on the miniature directly connect to my small-scale sculptures, which hold memory in delicate, intimate forms. The notion of the souvenir informs my use of symbolic objects as carriers of family history and trauma—embodying both attachment and loss. Her insights on collections help me see how groups of small objects can build larger narratives of memory. By linking scale, material, and story, On Longing provides a rich framework for understanding sculpture as both a container and creator of memory—bridging personal intimacy with cultural history.

#miniature #souvenir #intimacy #nostalgia #memory

Image credit: https://www.dukeupress.edu/on-longing

Written on: 24 August 2025