Object Archive
As the digital era advances at pace, what was once tactile and concrete has been reduced to strings of data. An ever-increasing amount of our lives has been made intangible, existing in disembodied forms on computer servers at the discretion of corporations. As a result, the objects we collect and choose to keep take on a greater significance and are inherently imbued with history and memory. Through the curation and archiving of personal artifacts, Object: Archive explores the value of the physical in a digital world.
Designed as an interactive exhibition, the project comprises both physical and digital outputs. The curated objects have been thoroughly documented considering size, material, age, and origin with the information being represented on individual fact cards. Each card in the archive represents an object a person chose to collect. Some are historically significant while others are simply vessels for memories and past experience. All represent a choice to hold on to something and a belief that the object had value beyond its practical use. Some of the fact cards are displayed on shelving while the rest are gathered in an archival box where they can be examined.
As part of this exhibition, 3D modeling software and photogrammetry techniques have been used in an attempt to capture a digital representation of the physical object. Each of the object cards has a unique index number which can be looked up on the interactive website where objects can be further explored in a simulated 3D space. Here, text can be read in detail and a greater sense of form and texture can be gained.
