About

History repeats itself, nothing is new under the sun. It doesn’t matter what it is, we love things the same way people loved things during their own time. Trends will come and go. Things will get lost, found, and lost again. Memories become faded and hard to remember. To help us not forget, we bookmark the memory by collecting things.

Hotoi is a culmination of history. A collection of encrypted bookmarks, each holding their own memories. 

Hotoi Film explores slide film taken by members of my father’s side of the family. They were military scientists, stationed around the world as they did their jobs. Their photos have a tender empathy attached. I can envision each memory I pick up and put under the light. 

Hotoi Watches stems from my mother’s side of the family. I was inspired by the watches passed down to me from my uncle, and the stories he told of running an antique store with my grandparents. Watches were a perfect match for me. I have so many at this point that I get distracted too often from taking the case backs off and gazing movements. Sometimes its fun to imagine the life of the last owner, and what they did while wearing the watch. 

There’s a lot of love baked into this project. For now, it’s watches and film. I want Hotoi to grow up with me, changing direction when time comes. Thank you for your support and giving me a platform to share these memories.

-Mark