Unremarkable Things

Objects are created to serve a particular purpose, with a specific idea of who will use them, how they will be used and in which context. Their functions, materials and aesthetic properties are defined by the designers and producers responding to commercial and symbolic values. However, these products are then adopted by real people and integrated into their real lives. They can take on new meanings that go far beyond the initial intentions or expectations of their creators.

These are a series of stories that chase the individual value and meanings that seemingly ordinary objects can take. They are based on individual interviews I conduct, and are illustrated by different artists to depict a dimension that, I believe, can never be fully designed. Next, find two of the stories, click on the link for more.

Client

Personal Project

Project Date

2019

Shreepriya, 24, India

“Actually, I got my first swimming suit last year in Italy. It was at the end of my Masters year, when I was travelling with my mom after my graduation. It was very pretty, it was green and it had ruffles on the neck and on the waist. It was the kind of green that I love, dark green.

The first time I wore it my mom was with me, she is super good. She was the one who initially gave me the confidence to go in the water just wearing the swimming suit. I had never done it before, it is something new for me. In India you don’t really wear swimming suits in beaches or on river sides. Specially rivers are not for recreation at all, rivers are sacred for us. You go to rivers to pray and you would see women wearing the entire clothes, then going inside the water and coming out. The whole concept of relaxing by the water does not involve swimming or wearing less clothes. It is just about seating there and mostly guys would do it, being a girl in India you wouldn’t do it.

That has an impact on you. I am shy, I am not very confident about my own body. I guess you build confidence step by step if you are exposed to it as a child. In Europe children are taken to beaches in their swimming suits and it is very normal to see other people’s body on display and be ok with your own body. You are not thinking that someone is looking at you with judgmental eyes. In India I did not have an atmosphere to be free in that way.

I still have doubts when I wear my swimming suit, I am like “I look so terrible, I am not going to go in the water like this, it is too much skin to show”. But with a little pep-talk it gets better. If nothing helps then I can just call my mom and then she just tells me that I am not in India, I am in Europe and I can do whatever I want.”

Illustration by Danilo Gallo.

Rohit, 24, India
(about The Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoievski)

“This was the first book I remember getting, in 11th grade. I went with my parents to a temple and on the way back we got this book, I don’t know, it was very random, we just decided to go to a bookstore. I didn’t know about this book before, it was just there and, it was kind of crazy, it had such a big impact on my life. Reading it was so difficult for me because my English was pretty bad back then so I started it and then stopped, and I think I went back periodically to it until one time it clicked and I finished it in a week.

One of the characters is called Ivan and he’s very cerebral. I don’t know if I am like him but I always identified with him. He’s an atheist and he has lots of discussions and I was just very convinced by his discussions.

This book actually made me an atheist. You know, you go to the temple, you say your prayers and you don’t even think about it at the time but this, this was the trigger for me. After this I started reading other stuff and I started thinking about it and one year later I had a conversation with my parents. They weren’t convinced but they accepted it. I gave my reasoning and they argued but my arguments were better. They were rational arguments and you just can’t fight against them. We have these conversations periodically, every six months they say something about it and then I go on a rant and then we laugh.

I still have the book, it’s all torn up since I’ve read it a few times but I plan to give it to my kids.”

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danilo.gallo@naverlabs.com