Mini Cooper USB

Unknown, ca. 2012

Plastic, USB

6.4 x 2.5 x 2.6 cm

Gifted in 2012

Personal collection

This item has been a part of my personal collection since 2012. While it is a piece of technology, the meaning and usage extends beyond that. This small novelty USB key is a mini cooper that features a British flag on its roof; considered to some extent to be a kitschy cliché. I have had a fascination with history and the role England has played for so much of history, and as a teenager I became obsessed with the iconography and representation of the United Kingdom. The British aesthetic has become part of pop culture, decorating many different forms, from pillows and clothing, to knick knacks.

When I was gifted this piece, these objects were just becoming more easily found. The year 2012 marked my graduation from elementary school, and this USB key was given to me as a tool for high school, but also came to represent the places I would go in the future. I have, however, never actually used it as a USB. This piece is a representation of my past; since receiving this USB I have travelled to England twice, and I am soon to have my undergraduate degree in history and museum studies with so many more adventures to come. With the evolution of social media since 2012, as this object is shared, my aim would be to document the audience and future owners of this little car to see other peoples’ journeys as well. In the current our context of the pandemic when travel and physical encounters with other parts of the world are limited, this object represents future movement and change.

Rachel Kraus