As a way of responding to and celebrating my own collections, I spent a period of months making plaster cast replicas of some of my sacred objects, building up a collection of collections. This installation exhibits these plaster casts, each artefact symbolises a memory, my interests, a life lesson or things that inspire me and drive my creative practice.

The aim was to present the objects as if in a historical, museum exhibit that illustrates my story, mapping out the various stages in my life through my prized possessions. Toys, natural forms, travel souvenirs, objects that once belonged to my late father, now a part of me and my collections.

Collecting has always fed into my life and creative practice. I’m fascinated by people and the objects or tools they choose to keep on their person or in their spaces. Since all I have left of my father are some of his belongings, I’m even more drawn to exploring the part they play in the expression or the performance of the self; as well as the narratives these artefacts themselves hold and the stories that can be told about a person or their heritage through their collections, even long after they die.

Collecting is like building an archive, a meticulous selection of objects that can tell someone’s story, reflecting their interests, memories and creative providing inspiration. Gathering objects of value is something quite natural to us, it’s a part of what makes us human.

The Collector seeks and gathers fine objects to fill their creative space, things that resonate with them. Collecting often goes hand in hand with other creative practices, painting, sculpture, craftsmanship; it satisfies that playful curiosity that lives within and drives most creative people.

The artefacts we keep in our spaces are like invitations, windows into the Collector’s mind and unique world. The objects symbolise possibility, stimulate imagination, they embody authentic self-expression in material form, acting as portals to another world, memory or time.

I choose to embrace and express my maximalist self, and I encourage you to collect objects that inspire you, have fun, play like you did so easily as a child, express yourself through the curation of your spaces.

WACKY COLLECTING ISSUE BLURB

The zine that challenges societal norms, celebrating eccentricity, creative expression & authenticity.

Wacky Zine Issue No. 2 continues to explore the effect self-expression has on our mental well- being and overall happiness, this time through the lens of: Collecting and Maximalism.

Inside this zine is a collection of intimate interviews with collectors, in which each individual opens up about why their treasures and visual aids are important to them as creative people, and how collecting or making objects feeds into their everyday life, their art practice and their mental well-being.

Surrounding ourselves with objects can inspire and motivate us, mirroring who we are, reminding us of who we want to be. Objects hold the power of storytelling, communicating without a sound, a language often only the collector themselves will understand. Objects allow us teleportation through time and space. They can be a distraction, an obsession. Many minimalists wish to be free of the power of the material object. Objects encapsulate extensions of our character and interests in their fabric.

Wacky is here to tell you that being a celebrator of the material isn’t something to be ashamed of. In fact caring more about the material world instead of keeping it out of sight, out of mind, may help our planet.

Stephen Wright Interview & Photography Series - Artist Stephen Wright’s House of Dreams (2020). Featuring in Collecting Conversations (2021) and Wacky No.2 The Collecting Issue (2021-present). Photographs by Heather Waterfield.