In this upcycling project, I aim to explore the aesthetic of nostalgia and the concept of comfort through nostalgia. This idea came to me back in the pandemic when there was a huge resurgence in childhood favorites, like Avatar the Last Airbender, Pokemon, and more. In the pandemic I found myself rereading the books I loved growing up, and watching the shows I had watched dozens of times before just because they felt familiar and there was a certain sense of comfort and stability during a time that was extremely unstable. Many people felt similarly, and I have always wanted to create some sort of artistic representation of that concept of childhood nostalgia. The images below are representative of the well-loved, quirky toys that I want to portray.

I decided to create a series of recreations of childhood stuffed animals belonging to my friends and I using a variety of materials ranging from leather, to fabric scraps, to cardboard, to paper. I plan to create at least 2-3 stuffed animal recreations that depict them in their natural, well-loved state. I want to represent the comforts of childhood in a way that feels tangible, interactive, and that showcases the love and memories that surround beloved stuffed animals.

I used to be obsessed with stuffed animals as a kid, and I had an extensive collection. However, this bear was (and still is) one of my most precious possessions- she felt like my best friend, and was a huge source of comfort growing up. I want to explore this concept of comfort through nostalgia in a fun and whimsical way, and paying homage to the soft little creatures that kept us company growing up feels like a joyful way to do it. With permission from my friends, I will be recreating their stuffed animals as well to create a series of different stuffed animals.

Image Citations (I could not source the original eBay posts for these stuffed animals):

https://images.app.goo.gl/wuvwpWRpjW3k6D4A6

1 Comment. Leave new

  • Childhood nostalgia is such a powerful thing, so I love this project idea. I also like the idea of making them visually “well-loved”, which shouldn’t be hard when using upcycled materials. I have some stuffed animals from my childhood that hold a lot of meaning to me, so being able to see and artistic representation of them using other used materials would be really cool.

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