Explores the worldwide popularity of the love-lock as a ritual token
of love and commitment by considering its history, symbolism, and
heritage.
"[T]his is an eminently enjoyable and thorough investigation of a
popular phenomenon through the lens of heritage and folk
tradition."--Sara De Nardi, Western Sydney University
A padlock is a mundane object, designed to fulfil a specific - and
secular - purpose. A contemporary custom has given padlocks new
significance. This custom is 'love-locking', where padlocks are engraved
with names and attached to bridges in declaration of romantic
commitment. This custom became popular in the 2000s, and its
dissemination was rapid, geographically unbound, and highly divisive,
with love-locks emerging in locations as diverse as Paris and Taiwan;
New York and Seoul; Melbourne and Moscow.
From the introduction:
I was distractedly perusing the photo frame aisle, my eyes skimming the
generically sentimental stock pictures of happy families smiling at the
camera, pretty landscapes, cute pets and couples walking hand-in-hand,
when I came across one that jumped out at me.... I recognised the image
instantly as a photograph of love-locks: the padlocks that had been
appearing en masse on bridges and other public structures on a global
scale since the early 2000s. And, having been researching the custom
known as lovelocking for about five years at that point, it was with a
peculiar sense of pride that I realised love-locks had accomplished the
status of a stock image.
