Making Things Visible: Visual Strategies for the Representation of Objects in Collections

Abstract

Design collections today collect cultural and aesthetic knowledge embodied in a vast number of objects. Except for exhibitions and collection visits one can only access the objects through reference systems, registries and catalogues. These forms of representation mostly rely on textual description and standardized photography. The hypothesis of this article is, that by this means only a very limited impression of objects of aesthetic value can be conveyed. But their significance arises precisely from the interplay of their formal appearance, materiality, proportions, function, use, context, and history. How to get an idea of, for example, the sensory qualities of a chair without being confronted with it on a physical level? This article presents a practice-led investigation on different visual strategies for representing objects and their effects on the perception of the latter. How and what kind of knowledge can be gained? Series of photographs as well as hand and digital drawings alternate with reflexive observation thus formulating diverse findings and opening up further perspectives not only for the practice of object collection.