Artifacts Quote by Steven Sebring
![“I took pictures of the objects and artifacts that Patti [Smith] would show to her friends because I wanted to document them.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b31/steven-sebring-14700_artifacts_i-took-pictures-of-the-objects-and-artif_435299.jpg)
“I took pictures of the objects and artifacts that Patti [Smith] would show to her friends because I wanted to document them.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Documentary discussion with Patti Smith, 2015
Documenting artifacts preserves personal history and cultural memory for future insight.
In simple terms: Preserve objects to remember stories.
Key Takeaway
Document what matters to you.
Themes
history
memory
culture
documentation
Mood
nostalgic
thoughtful
Type
documentary
personal
When to use this quote
- museum curation
- family archives
- journalism
- art projects
Key Concepts
archival practice
personal narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- What objects would you preserve?
- How does documentation shape identity?
A Different Perspective
Objects alone cannot convey full context without narrative.
![“We just grew to trust each other [with Patti Smith] more and more over the years. Most of the time I didn't even have a movie camera.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e21/steven-sebring-14700_cameras_we-just-grew-to-trust-each-other-with-pa_49044.jpg)
![“I was making a film [Dream of Life] about Patti [Smith], but I was taking pictures, too.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/825/steven-sebring-14700_cinema_i-was-making-a-film-dream-of-life-about_2370252.jpg)
![“Patti [Smith] was my experiment, to be honest. And the film is what we got out of it. At the end of the day, I learned a lot about how to make a film.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a1c/steven-sebring-14700_being-honest_patti-smith-was-my-experiment-to-be-hone_2229699.jpg)
![“When I started photographing Patti [Smith], I knew that there wasn't a whole a lot of information out there about her. I was periodically interested in films, and so I just kept asking her if I could come around.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ad7/steven-sebring-14700_asking_when-i-started-photographing-patti-smith_1891719.jpg)
![“I just wanted to be Patti's [Smith] messenger and get her word out there.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b45/steven-sebring-14700_messengers_i-just-wanted-to-be-patti-s-smith-messen_1768410.jpg)
![“I became Patti's [Smith] messenger, basically, and the film is my view of how I learned about Patti.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/61f/steven-sebring-14700_film_i-became-patti-s-smith-messenger-basical_1482292.jpg)
![“I quickly realized that Patti [Smith] was somebody very special.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/db7/steven-sebring-14700_somebody-special_i-quickly-realized-that-patti-smith-was_788180.jpg)
![“I wasn't familiar with Patti [Smith ]much at all. When I was asked to photograph her, my wife said, "Oh my God, Patti Smith!" So I looked at some Robert Mapplethorpe books and I recognized those pictures.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/645/steven-sebring-14700_book_i-wasn-t-familiar-with-patti-smith-much_665684.jpg)
![“I shot [Dream of Life] all on 16-millimeter, and I just wanted to learn about Patti [Smith].” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0e/steven-sebring-14700_dream_i-shot-dream-of-life-all-on-16-millimete_583938.jpg)
![“At the beginning I didn't even really think about making a movie [Dream of Life]. I was just thinking of documenting somebody.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2d5/steven-sebring-14700_dream_at-the-beginning-i-didn-t-even-really-th_30900.jpg)
![“That was an amazing experience [making Dream of Life]. It's hard to imagine that we were editing every day for a year. And it was pretty extraordinary; it also went by super fast. But every day was an experiment.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/316/steven-sebring-14700_amazing-experience_that-was-an-amazing-experience-making-dr_102805.jpg)
![“We had a hodgepodge of footage. We didn't film [in Dream of Life ]all the time - we would just film periodically, so nothing was synced and nothing was slated.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/325/steven-sebring-14700_dream_we-had-a-hodgepodge-of-footage-we-didn-t_238597.jpg)
![“I thought about how to film something, how to take pictures of it and how to mix it all together. And I was getting that through Patti [Smith] - because she takes pictures, performs, writes; she does so many things, and that was a big inspiration to me. It helped me realized that I'm not just a…” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/08f/steven-sebring-14700_art_i-thought-about-how-to-film-something-ho_292986.jpg)
![“I would bring Patti [Smith ] in to the editing room [working on the Dream of Life] and say, "This is a great moment for a voiceover, or a poem," and then we'd bring in some sound design.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/142/steven-sebring-14700_design_i-would-bring-patti-smith-in-to-the-edit_322546.jpg)
![“Because the filming process was so organic and there was no script, the film [Dream of Life] was literally telling us what it wanted to be in the editing room.” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b7/steven-sebring-14700_cinema_because-the-filming-process-was-so-organ_338933.jpg)
![“She let me in during her tour, in London. Her band members - especially Lenny Kaye - were shocked at the fact that I was filming Patti [Smith].” quote by Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a72/steven-sebring-14700_band_she-let-me-in-during-her-tour-in-london_416754.jpg)
