All the small things: Brown
Last winter I attended an exhibition at the Barbican Centre entitled "Magnificent Obsessions: The artist as collector". It featured the personal collections of a number of famous contemporary artists, including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Sol LeWitt. The show aimed to provide insight into the artists’ minds through their quirky obsessions, while at the same time highlight the aesthetic value objects gain when arranged within a collection.
Case in point was the exhibit assembled by artist Danh Vō, who used artist Martin Wong's collection of ordinary toys and household items to make a captivating display which some consider to be a work of art in its own right. Of interest, too, were Peter Blake's dolls and Andy Warhol's cookie jars. I particularly liked these collections because they legitimised my own obsession with all things cute and quirky and there were clear parallels between them and the amazing displays of my Flickr Friends, Raining Rita, Hitty Evie, Hanhell and Foxy Bell.
The show also inspired me to reconsider the way I was displaying my own toys. I was especially interested in coming up with a pleasing and efficient way of showing off my tiniest toys. I particularly liked the Barbican’s arrangement of the Andy Warhol cookie jars, where each jar had its own defined space. I wanted to do something similar with my tiny toys, so they could easily be compared without crowding each other out.
After some internet investigation, I found that Muji provided the perfect solution with acrylic boxes that were originally intended for make-up or trinkets. These boxes are relatively cheap, stackable and sturdy. They also provide exactly two inches of dedicated space for my tiniest toys. Originally, I was going to come up with a display involving one box – but found that it was too difficult to choose which toys would make the cut. So I am now making colour-based rotating displays that will allow me to enjoy more toys. I also hope to cut out some of the dividers, so I’m not restricted to the 2x2 inch square space.
www.timeout.com/london/art/magnificent-obsessions-your-ul...
All the small things: Brown
Last winter I attended an exhibition at the Barbican Centre entitled "Magnificent Obsessions: The artist as collector". It featured the personal collections of a number of famous contemporary artists, including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Sol LeWitt. The show aimed to provide insight into the artists’ minds through their quirky obsessions, while at the same time highlight the aesthetic value objects gain when arranged within a collection.
Case in point was the exhibit assembled by artist Danh Vō, who used artist Martin Wong's collection of ordinary toys and household items to make a captivating display which some consider to be a work of art in its own right. Of interest, too, were Peter Blake's dolls and Andy Warhol's cookie jars. I particularly liked these collections because they legitimised my own obsession with all things cute and quirky and there were clear parallels between them and the amazing displays of my Flickr Friends, Raining Rita, Hitty Evie, Hanhell and Foxy Bell.
The show also inspired me to reconsider the way I was displaying my own toys. I was especially interested in coming up with a pleasing and efficient way of showing off my tiniest toys. I particularly liked the Barbican’s arrangement of the Andy Warhol cookie jars, where each jar had its own defined space. I wanted to do something similar with my tiny toys, so they could easily be compared without crowding each other out.
After some internet investigation, I found that Muji provided the perfect solution with acrylic boxes that were originally intended for make-up or trinkets. These boxes are relatively cheap, stackable and sturdy. They also provide exactly two inches of dedicated space for my tiniest toys. Originally, I was going to come up with a display involving one box – but found that it was too difficult to choose which toys would make the cut. So I am now making colour-based rotating displays that will allow me to enjoy more toys. I also hope to cut out some of the dividers, so I’m not restricted to the 2x2 inch square space.
www.timeout.com/london/art/magnificent-obsessions-your-ul...