Lindsey’s Reflection on Objects
Objects do not exist in a vacuum. They were created by a person for a purpose and then lived a life of functional use. As time moves forward, objects change ownership, often being used in a different way, or taking on different meaning. For example, a set of ceramic elephants bought as a souvenir by my great grandparents in their 20s served as a reminder for time spent in another country. The elephants now sit on a shelf in my home as a reminder of my relationship and time spent with them. The elephants have taken on a meaning.
Every object has a story to tell – its biography. Pondering and searching for the stories objects can reveal has long captivated my imagination and led me to be pursue a career in Object Conservation. The goal of conservation is to preserve objects and the evidence they carry which reveals their stories. Considering and understanding how and why an object was made, how it was used, changed ownership, and use over time are crucial to knowing how to best preserve the object and its story. “If Objects Could Talk” is my attempt to communicate the way I interact with the objects and why they need to be preserved.