Description:

Quotidian Collections explores everyday objects and the meaning of individuality through personal collections. From my fascination and attachment to the objects I own and accumulate, I wanted to question why those objects were so important to me and whether they accurately represented my personality.

I became a believer that everyone collects something. When I began speaking to people about their collections, they often said they didn’t collect anything — the connotations associated with collecting surrounded hoarding and masses of things. But I redefined it. The book focuses on smaller collections — more intimate ones. I think there is value in assessing the objects you own and how they represent you, not the persona you try to create.

I set out to create a specimen to display the stories behind an individual’s collection. The best format for this was physical, could be in a collection itself and was easily accessible to my audience. I interviewed 20 people to compile their words and photographed collections. I used the Japanese concept of Mingei as a framework to define what makes an everyday and sustainable collection — the objects had to be inexpensive to purchase, produced in large quantities and wholesomely made. It also must serve a purpose such as furniture, stationary or clothing.

The final specimen is a tactile and weighty book. The exposed stitching reveals the layers, images and papers used throughout the book while the untrimmed thread feels tactile. It is self-printed between the risograph and laser-jet printers. The only colours used in the design are black and white to allow the images of objects to shine. The overall style was heavily inspired by large organised collections such as art and museum collections so there is a consistent referencing system and refined, practical typography. Each collection has illustrations of the object silhouettes to emphasise the wonderfully designed objects.

Quotidian Collections aims to inspire careful consumption in small ways. In the digital age, social media has encouraged the capitalistic idea that you can improve yourself and your image through the objects you obtain. People are influenced to buy aesthetic things they don’t need and don’t serve a function. When objects don’t serve a function, they are susceptible to becoming waste in the immediate future. Collecting isn’t about over-consuming. It’s about acquiring useful, long-lasting items that benefit an individual's everyday life.