Before the Ranaissance was born,
Curiosity was scorned
as part of human pride.
But with the new age,
Curiosity raged,
And the cabinets opened wide.

Upon unlocking the cabinet door,
All was visable
Ceiling to floor,
Every inch a wonder
At a single gaze,
A collection of oddities
Arranged to amaze...

By Angela Lorenz


Wunderkammer:

"a German term often rendered in English as 'cabinet of curiosities', and used to refer to a collection of objects, artefactual and/or natural, unusual in variety, origins, or forms; literally, a chamber of wondrous things."
- The Art of Art History: Critical Anthology




Film to watch - '9' by Shane Acker

Set in a post apocalyptic world where machines have taken over from humans all that remains are a group of mechanical puppets bought to life by their former maker. In this ominous landscape, under the evil scrutiny of a machinic dog their survival is rooted in their resourcefulness. Making use of old and disused objects of the human world they adapt these curious forms to create traps, weapons, tools and trinkets to protect them from the world outside.

Whilst watching the clip think about....

- ...the setting – where is it? When is it?

- What objects do you notice?

- What do the objects tell you?


John Soans Museum

John Soans Museum
An example of a private collection turned public



A curiosity shop in Soho, N.Y.

A curiosity shop in Soho, N.Y.


What is a collection?


–noun
1. the act of collecting.
2. something that is collected; a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated
in one location, esp. for some purpose or as a result of some process:
a stamp collection; a collection of unclaimed hats in the checkroom.
3. the works of art constituting the holdings of an art museum: a history of the museum and of the collection.
4. the gathered or exhibited works of a single painter, sculptor, etc.: an excellent Picasso collection.
5. collections, the various holdings of an art museum organized by category,
as painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, or film: the director of the collections.
6. the clothes or other items produced by a designer, esp. for a seasonal line: the spring collection.
7. a sum of money collected, esp. for charity or church use.
8. Manège. act of bringing
or coming into a collected attitude.

Why do we collect things?
Is it because these things have value?
If so who to?

Collections can be personal and universal, private and public but what warrants
an object's place within a collection?







EXAMPLES OF COLLECTIONS:




Saturday, 26 June 2010

Final Piece Ideas







Ideas

Here are a selection of initial ideas for final pieces. We have a diverse range of objects in focus from quilts, babushka dolls and kitchen utensils to perfume bottles and keys. Some really interesting connotations are appearing through their independent research such as a history of quilts and toys as well as the ancient yet still culturally relevant uses for objects such as cutlery.

1 comment:

  1. The artist Maggie Hollingworth works with materials such as paper to form sculptures like oversized cutlery and tools. She covers these with relevant imagery such as 50's style cooking advertisements to illustrate the historic link between women and domesticity

    http://www.magiehollingworth.co.uk/image3.html

    If you are interested in using the form of your chosen object for your final piece it is important to think of ways of representing your object and its role rather than simply creating a replica.

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