Materialities of memory: poetics of the biographical object

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between memory, materiality, and autobiographical narratives through a qualitative and multimodal investigation based on everyday objects as affective triggers. It starts from the premise that memory, rather than being a mere repository of the past, is a complex fabric woven from lived experiences, emotions, and storytelling, constantly interacting with the material objects that accompany us. From this perspective, a biographical-narrative and visual methodology is proposed to access intimate enclaves of memory through the sensory evocation produced by objects.

The research focuses on school life narratives built from an intergenerational sample (ages 8 to 92), in which participants choose and narrate experiences linked to objects previously selected by the researchers. The findings show how these objects, with their varied qualities, act as mediators between past and present, activating memories ranging from learning processes and teacher characteristics to school environments and personal emotions. In doing so, they give rise to unique narratives that, far from hegemonic historical discourses, allow us to value the affective and symbolic dimension of lived school experiences through intimate storytelling.

The results are presented via a website with a strong visual component, functioning as a visual-narrative repository and enabling new rhizomatic readings of the sample. This proposal highlights the value of the biographical, the sensory, and the material as pathways for constructing knowledge grounded in subjectivity and the collective, thus expanding possibilities for interpretation and representation within the field of social research.