[Unstagram] Took a Photo Holding an Old Picture.

People see their own past along with their face that they have seen throughout their lives. The more difficult and painful the past, the more vividly it can be seen, rather than the joyful and happy times. Everyone has a past they have not reconciled with or let go of. Still, I asked them to bring their most cherished, that is, their favorite old photo, and took a picture with that photo and their current appearance. This was when I helped produce a collective autobiography for the elders of the abandoned mining village in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, a few years ago.

Photos and writings of the elderly from the Yeongwol abandoned mining village were compiled into a joint autobiography.

People tend to be attached to photos from their blossoming days. Some brought such photos, while others brought three or four because it was hard to choose just one. There was even someone who wanted to take a picture holding a photo where their face was very small and hard to distinguish, but it was the happiest and most satisfying time of their life. This shows that many stories can be contained even if they are not visible in the photo. The stories that are called forth are unique memories each person holds. There are common memories that anyone can share and personal memories that no one else can tell. The story of a photo exists both inside and outside the photo.

"This photo is over 50 years old. It was taken by a U.S. soldier who was renting a room in our house. The young woman is holding a child, who is my nephew. Next to her is our grandmother."

We touched, looked at, and talked about the photo where the ‘young me’ and the current me were together. About the decades of time easily contained in one photo, the meaning of that one photo from those days, the excitement and fear of youth, and the past pain that can now be talked about calmly... More stories behind what is visible were brought out. As a result, the photo created relationships and allowed the past to be seen as part of the present. The blossoming days were not something that had passed away but were still inside me now.

"I paid the price of a mal of rice with my next-door friends when I was a virgin and took this photo. I'm on the far left, my friends got engaged, but I was the only one who didn't."

"Before I even turned twenty, I was wearing glasses and looked like a guy. A boy the same age from the neighborhood took the photo, and I think he had feelings for me. I wonder where he is now, whether he's alive or dead..."

Within the current appearance, the past time and events still live on. The past as a distant time beyond reach, including not only good memories but also difficult pasts that one wants to forget and escape from, all exist within me now. In life, some things are resolved by facing them squarely. Photos allow us to confront various memories directly. The comfortable smile in the photo taken holding an old photo showed the tolerance to reconcile with the past while holding hands with the time gone by. They now understand well that taking a good photo or looking good is not that important. We can talk about the appearances of people unrelated to us and places we have never been. Although each has endured separate years, everyone can empathize and talk about the similarity of the time and memories they have crossed.

"When we were dating, we went to play in a peach orchard, and the owner gave me a branch with peaches as a gift. Then, we went to a photo studio run by a local older brother to take commemorative photos. Not long after, we got married. I wanted to be the eldest daughter-in-law, but I ended up being the youngest daughter-in-law..."

We look at, touch, and smile at photos, but sometimes it feels like photos also soothe us. Even without giving any special teaching, the hand that soothes us touches not only our face but also our hearts, offering comfort.

Editor's NoteThis piece writes about photos and visible things, past time, and human relationships. ‘Unstagram’ is a coined term meaning photographic (gram) stories that are not (un~) instant (insta~). This story is about the author’s participation in the autobiography writing project for elders of the abandoned mining village in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, called ‘My Life, I Gave Birth to a Book’ conducted several years ago.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.