The act of collecting has always been an integral part of human existence. From the hunter-gatherers collecting as a necessity for survival to modern-day, where collecting has taken on more trivial aspects by often showing traits of overconsumption.
To me collecting has always been linked to the immediate world surrounding me. Whether it is a unique branch, an intriguing stone or a deformed piece of plastic, I am drawn to objects possessing distinctive characteristics. In a somewhat childlike manner, I am searching for meanings and stories, creating a personalized world around each item I collect. These seemingly mundane artifacts become the building blocks of my narrative, sparking curiosity to investigate their existence.
“The starting point for thinking about collecting is recognizing the human feeling of wonder that things seem to exist outside of the self – the amazement and curiosity aroused by the apparent infinitude of animate and inanimate things that constantly impinge on one’s consciousness. And the wonder is not only that these things have an independent existence but also that they seem to have had a pre-existence – that is, to have a history that antedates our awareness of them. The act of reaching out and touching them therefore produces contact both with the environment and with the past.”
This work invites you to take a walk, encouraging you to contemplate of our relationship with our environment.
It reminds us that even the simplest object can hold a story and meaning that is worth exploring.