Art, images, artifacts, songs; culture are the principal means by which Human beings define themselves.
Bob and Roberta Smith, 2011
Object based learning
Object based learning simply means using objects to stimulate thinking. American sociologist Sherry Turkle describes objects as companions to our life experiences, this means they have the potential to provoke an experiential and multisensory learning experience. (Turkle 2011)
Object to artefact
So, what are artefacts? Artifacts are objects that shape our understanding of the world, reflecting our cultures, histories, and daily lives. Only a small number are chosen to be displayed in museums, where they are transformed from functional items into objects of study. These artifacts offer valuable insights into the cultural, social, economic, and historical aspects of societies, preserving the stories of human achievements and challenges.
We are aiming to disrupt meaning making and curatorial strategies of display and interpretation by asking you to select and share an object that has particular meaning for you.
The notion of the museum without walls or Musée Imaginaire was coined by André Malraux, French philosopher and historian in 1947. It is the idea that art exists within our imaginations and represents the subjective dialogues we can hold through our experience and engagement with it.
We are looking to build an OCA Museum of People (more on this later…) and we are going to start with our very own Cabinet of Curiosity which we will launch in July during our Student Voice Festival 2025.
A Wikipedia definition of Cabinets of Curiosities, also known as wonder-rooms describes them as encyclopaedic collections of objects whose categorical boundaries were, in Renaissance Europe, yet to be defined. Although more rudimentary collections had preceded them, the classic cabinets of curiosities emerged in the sixteenth century.
The term cabinet originally described a room rather than a piece of furniture. Modern terminology would categorise the objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings), and antiquities. (Accessed 12/02/24)
The brief
Open to all across OCA, students, staff and alumni, we want you to choose and photograph a personal artifact and tell its story in under 200 words. These will be curated in a bespoke online gallery to tell our collective stories.
Storytelling is a way to construct and share knowledge, it’s universal and accessible. It can stimulate connection, debate, conversation, knowledge exchange and change.
We will discover together how these artefacts are utilisable as objects: as historical, as things to think with, as interpretable objects, as educational contrivances, and as starting points or provocations for learning and storytelling. How artefacts challenge reductionist approaches to identity and speak to issues of inclusion, access and diversity. How some objects have the potential to unlock uncomfortable truths and possess the power to provoke.
Reflect on the ways in which your artefact/object/thing can be used as a purveyor of meaning and how that meaning itself is open to change depending on context and interpretation.
You can ask:
What are your artifacts telling about your story and how do they influence your personal life?
How might the artifact you choose to document tell a bigger story about our common humanity?
How might objects carry traditions, personal histories, cultural practices, religious significance, family history and connect to a sense of place?
You could capture personal connections, multi-generational relationships, as well as social, cultural and religious values and beliefs. Think about themes of identity, memory, time, loss, love, resilience, perseverance, remembrance, accessibility and inclusion.
Remember we want to keep the explanation brief and allow room for the viewer to first discover your object.
The deadline
Please send the photograph of your artefact and, your 200 words or less explanation, to blog@oca.ac.uk before 31 May 2025. Do include your preferred name and student number if applicable please.
We look forward to curating our OCA Cabinet of Curiosity with you!
This collaborative project brief is inspired by an Artefacts as an Educational Resource module I undertook in 2019 and have been thinking about since. It just so happens the Global Oneness Project also conducted a similar project and this has been referenced in our brief.
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