Landscape Architect Lisa Switkin Muses on the Connection Between Nature and Memory

Switkin recalls 25 years’ worth of memories from a memento box that never leaves her deskside.
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I’ve been collecting these mementos—rocks, corals, pieces of driftwood, shells, and pinecones—for more than 25 years. When I touch their surfaces, I’m reminded of the power of memory and stories. Not just my own stories, but others’ stories, historical accounts, and even the untold stories I might never know. For example, the driftwood is from Hills Beach in Maine, near the home of my husband’s great-great-grandmother. 

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