The Biscuit Talks, a collection of collectors
Laura Quinten
Antwerpen, België
About
Laura graduated in graphic design last year, but her interest in collecting goes back much further. Through her relationship with her own collection, she began to wonder more and more about how other collectors experience their objects. What makes an object valuable? What memories, emotions and stories are associated with it?
In her work, she explores the value that collectors attribute to objects. She combines graphic design, photography, copywriting and interviewing techniques, with a particular focus on stories and the meaning people attach to objects. Meeting new people and engaging in conversation form an important part of her working method.
During her placement at the Centre for Art Archives in Flanders, she had the opportunity to delve into Guy Rombouts’ archive. As well as cataloguing his work, she also spoke to him about his collections, which provided her with new insights. She sees the same question recurring in both archives and collections: what is preserved and what is not?
After graduating, she will be heading abroad for an internship, where she hopes to further develop her artistic practice and gain new experiences.
Project
For my Master’s project, The Biscuit Conversations: A Collection of Collectors, I spoke to fifteen collectors to explore these questions further. I brought biscuits to every conversation to break the ice and create a warm atmosphere straight away.
I became fascinated by the different ways in which people attach meaning to the things they keep. In doing so, I discovered new perspectives and ways in which people relate to their collections that were previously unknown to me. Through their stories and the images I captured, I explore how objects become linked to identity, emotional value and personal experiences.
This publication brings together these encounters and shows just how differently collecting can be experienced. What may seem like an everyday object to one person can hold special significance for another. Through conversations, images and personal stories, it offers an insight into the relationship between people and the things they keep.
