Collecting Stories

What makes a collector? What makes a collection? As our First Time Out exhibit changes to display a new object this month, Natalie Coe finds that it all starts with the stories you tell… When I was 9 years old I proudly received a ‘Collectors’ badge at Brownies, for the 100 strong army of ornaments [...]

When the thing stops being a Thing

Over a week ago I retrieved my Thing from the exhibition. It was a much more emotional experience than expected. As I looked around waiting for my Thing to be found and returned, I looked around at the walls of other people’s mementos, and felt oddly sad that I was removing it from its new [...]

The thing is…. IV

The thing is impacted 7 November 2011 “The thing is impacted, deep,” he confided. “After twelve years of procrastination crisis point presented itself in a visit to A & E. It’s the first one, the others will follow soon. It only came out two weeks ago and I kept it in the bag, I showed [...]

The thing is…. III

The thing is I took the jello because I couldn’t get the pudding 16 June 2011 “The thing is I took the jello because I couldn’t get the pudding,” the analogy went. “It was the next best thing, but it symbolises our friendship – two flavours, two personalities, one friendship. I left it here for [...]

The thing is…. II

The thing is…. II The thing is it’s a reminder of him 18 February 2011 “The thing is it’s based on my own, I’ve had him for 12 years so I suppose it’s a reminder of him. It was a bit of an accident though, I started out making a purse and then ended up [...]

Photo things

Throughout the course of ‘Things’, many of the items contributed to the exhibition have been photographs, one of which being a World War I photo album. The item is a book holding a collection of photos depicting the happenings of a Scottish Hospital during the war, including a few of men dressed up a nurses. [...]

The thing is…. I

The thing is I have so many things 28 March 2011 “The thing is I have so many things,” she explained. “At last, I thought, here’s a chance to unburden myself. There are so many things to choose from, I wanted to give something that is part of me, literally, to become part of the [...]

Last hand-in day at ‘Things’

Today is the last day for handing in your items to ‘Things’. Things can either be gifted or loaned to the project and, after today, will be on public display in the exhibition until Friday 22 October. So far today we have been receiving a steady stream of objects such as an African percussion instrument [...]

Things: a breathing space

The gallery is closed. There are no queues, the white-gloved registrars, photographers and uploaders are taking the break they deserve, and the objects we have selected and collected sit on the shelves, alone, unregarded. Our Things are taking a breather.

The thing is a salvaged symbol…

“The thing is a salvaged symbol,” I said. “If I see one in a charity shop or house clearance I have to take it with me, I can’t bear to see them left behind… the memories, the places, the moments, broken from their past. I have no intention to relocate it myself, just keep it [...]