I Was Here, I am Everywhere
A trend among 21st century beings has risen: having a need to have always been somewhere. The phrase: “I was here”, can be spotted almost anywhere with enough attention. I find it interesting that people want others to know of where they have been, even though the ‘I’ is a fairly vague pronoun. We therefore end up with this iconic phrase, written in the most unusual places, on jackets, nightclub walls, coffee tables; there probably are even tattoos of that sort.
Although I’m criticising this idea, I must admit I’ve joined to group too a few years ago. I, on the other hand, have the patience to write my full name, three entire letters more. It doesn’t necessarily make me feel any better, but it’s thrilling knowing that you have a little mark in the world, and that people will later see that you have been here. These viewers will have no idea who I am or why this “Elle” took time out of her day to write her name somewhere, but it satisfies me knowing that I’ve been to a place, and taking the time to accept that I was there, leaving a semi-permanent trace of my visit.
The “I was here” in this photograph is printed on the back of the jacket; making no justice to the worth of the phrase nor any sense with what the phrase means. I guess that by having it on a jacket, gives you the same, temporary, satisfaction as getting a tattoo; you are always wherever you are, and anyone seeing you where you are will remember you.
