Objects Quarterly
Volume IX: Other people's objects, litter assemblage, creative tools
Welcome to the latest edition of OBJECTS QUARTERLY, a roundup of object-related items of interest published, uh, quarterly, for supporters of The Art of Noticing. Attending to objects is a sub-theme of TAoN, and a favorite subject of mine. Revisit prior OQ issues, and other mindful materialism posts, here. Enjoy!
WHAT (OTHER PERSON’S) OBJECT WOULD YOU SAVE FROM A FIRE?
Earlier this year I had a post about “light secrets” (the opposite of a dark secret), notable in part because I borrowed it from a work of fiction — a terrific short story that’s actually titled “Light Secrets,” by Joseph O’Neill.
I find that certain fiction is often a useful source of inspiration, full of fun and provocative ideas lurking within the narrative. Today I have another example related to one of my favorite subjects: the meaning and value of objects.
It comes from a story called “Understanding the Science,” by Camille Bordas, I writer whose work I really enjoy. The character Maria is at a dinner party at a friend’s apartment, “so bored” by the conversation that she starts looking around wondering what object she would save if the place “went up in flames right at this moment.” This is only a quick aside, and the question is not answered. (Maria seems so unimpressed by her friend’s taste she might not save anything!)
I like this as a variation on the more familiar question of what objects you would save from your own burning house. In this case, it’s a way to instantly tune into your surroundings in a new way. Or at the least, something amusing to focus on when the dinner party discussion bores you!
Your attention games and practices and ideas, pinched from fiction or not, are always welcome!
MORE OBJECT NEWS AND INSPIRATION
Very interesting obit of artist George Herms, “an early practitioner of California assemblage — an art form that embraced the messiness of everyday life by incorporating junkyard finds, broken car parts and other castoff materials.” I particularly liked this bit:
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