Meaningful Objects

Today I watched a documentary film entitled "Objectified", by Gary Hustwit, which featured the voices of various people around the world working with design. It focused on the "complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them," according to the film's website.



It was certainly interesting to be given the opportunity to watch designers at work, to hear the ideas that led up to a concept and to understand an object's purposeful configuration. Seeing all the thought that goes into the conceptual stage really boosts the meaning of an object. It was this aspect of the film that truly caught me, the weight of meaning an object can hold for a person.

One of the featured speakers in the film, made a point that if a natural disaster emergency were to occur, most people would take with them the objects with sentimental value not monetary value. It struck me as interesting human behavior that so much of what people keep is not dear to their hearts, and this led me to think about why certain objects hold their sentimental value while others have value that is forgotten.

I started to think about what items I would take with me if my apartment were to go up in flames, and the first thing that came to mind were my photos and my jewelry. Although jewelry involves much more design than photos do, they both have significant value because of the stories they hold. My photos are obviously important to me because they are moments in my life captured on paper that I can look back on to relive. They show the faces of people I love, so when I look at the photo I am reminded of them. My jewelry is important to me for the stories behind how the piece found its way to me, and also as a memento of a time that I wore it. The experiences are then a part of the jewelry, and it is more than just an accessory to my appearance because they say something about me.

Photo taken by me.

I feel like the same can be said about a child's old teddy bear. The teddy bear is not seen as the fuzzy fabric covered polyester stuffing that it physically is. To that child, it is like a friend with whom adventures were shared with. It comes to represent all the fun of playing.

Photo courtesy of Picture Book.

It is interesting to think about why people adhere strong feelings to certain objects and meaning disappears for other objects. In my opinion, objects designed for gifting or for passing down to further generations are the ones that hold the most meaning. For example, family heirlooms which are passed down have many stories attached. A necklace passed down will carry the story behind how it got to the first owner, stories about where that piece has been worn, stories about what it meant to wear it, and possibly even more.

Photo courtesy of Heirlooms by Ballou.

A piece that can carry meaning for a lot of people is a successful design, in my opinion. It can withstand time, and span across cultures in its importance, and the worth is heightened because it goes beyond the intrinsic value of the material it is made from. I think it could benefit society to look at the idea of meaningful objects, to create things that are versatile and appreciated by more than just one type of individual.