Boomer’s Boomers is an interactive audio installation where participants sit down and listen in on telephone conversations where mothers tell stories about their children. The conversations document the first encounter between Alex and Colleen (MaryAnne’s mother), and MaryAnne and Rachel (Alex’s mother). The two parents are answering questions to an unknown audience, one that they are probably trying to impress, but will likely never meet. Like all stories, these contain exaggerations and fallacies—evidence of the filters of time.
A mother telling stories about her child is how they have formed who they are, a shared identity. By listening to a mother tell stories we are able to gain insight into the personality of their son or daughter. The specificity of Colleen or Rachel’s stories creates a context in which to consider the universalities of maternal relationships. For a time children are not their own autonomous selves, but rather extensions of their parents. Part of our lives are only remembered by our parents. We alone do not own our identity, who we are is contained in the memory of others. By participating in the installation, one gets to reminisce and wonder how their own mothers would answer these questions and what that means about them.