Making Sense of Things is a creative initiative to give our members a chance to be creative with the current circumstances. By limiting ourselves to photographing only objects, I wanted to provide an opportunity for members to find personality in inanimate objects. Making Sense of Things was inspired by the pandemic’s effect on our relationship with the spaces we’re in as a result of isolation. By reflecting on the things that surround us, what do they say about ourselves? What objects now surround us more often than before? Whether their choices in objects have a relation to the pandemic or not, members will naturally attempt to make sense of objects as a result of styling them together.
CREATIVE DIRECTION Mia Yaguchi-Chow
PHOTOGRAPHY, ART DIRECTION Aisling Gogan
Remaining objective & impartial is not easy for humans.
We have opinions, feelings, & unconscious biases.
What can inanimate objects teach us?
They remind us to remain objective through their stillness, presence & non-judgment.
In this editorial, I style objects found in my room to illustrate how hidden meanings can be found in the simplest of objects when placed in the right context.
I tend to attach sentimental value to objects: a rock, an old paper bag, a half done crossword, or a wine bottle from last Saturday – each captures a particular memory, whether that be of a person, time, or feeling. Styling these objects into a single composition helps me understand how the value we place upon objects provide them with deeper meaning. Without this, they remain still, objective, and impartial. When intentionally placed together, however, objects construct a broader narrative that reflects our sentimental relationship to them and forms a material culture.
This edition to the series is titled, “Object ~ ive Meanings.”