We live in a world full of objects, simple tools that accompany our everyday life. Some of these things hold deep meaning for us, they carry stories, beliefs and memories.
One such object is Jagoda’s old camera, it once belonged to her grandfather Ryszard. When looking through the photos taken by him half a century ago, we noticed that most of them were taken, not only at important family moments, but in the company of various objects that were special to the family at the time.
Interested in objects, not only because of the emotional charge they carry but also because of their diverse aesthetics, we wanted to explore shapes through painting and photography.
We met with and took portraits of twenty-five people who live here in Berlin, we asked them to share with us the story of an object they feel attached to. The photographs were taken, among others with the Zorki 4, the analogue camera mentioned above. The images serve as references for a series of paintings and a street mural in Spandau, Berlin.
Through “Objectum” we want to highlight that we are all equal. Our associations with what we call “my place”, “my home”, “my thing” are relative and universal. Each of us can find in any of the artefacts something familiar, cosy and something which stirs emotion.
Shapes are important for us as a language tool; they are neutral, they have no nation and no geographical context. We feel abstract blocks go one step further, allowing us to perceive and understand the world in our own way. In a time that encourages people to focus on what separates us, we aim to find a universal language and create a common yet bespoke space that belongs to everyone.
The mural in urban space is located in Spandau, Berlin at 22 Obstalle Street.
Project created thanks to the Stiftung Berliner Leben and Fresh A.I.R. scholarship program from Berlin.
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Alice
Daniel
Nastja
Arturo
Dvora
Dvora’s object
Bruno
Felix
Liam
Marcelina
Imed
Riwa
Shingo
Tuca
Manue
Marie
Monty
Pedro
Peter
Rafał
Rebecca
Redaa
Tamara
Vio
Big thank you to all the Participants who shared their stories with us and all wonderful people who were around with the coffee and good word during painting the mural. Special hugs for: YAP, Janine, Moha, Brian, Pan Rudolf.
Below you can find the photos from the process of painting the mural and the e-book with all the stories of the objects.
Here you can see our final presentation of the project on the Berliner Leben website.
To read all the stories of the personal objects, please check our e-book: