user guide for educators
The accumulation and arrangement of objects in space creates meaning. Both extraordinary and quotidian objects are tangible odes to how we communicate with others and experience the world. An object can be powerfully evocative, and depending on whose hands it falls into, can exist intentionally or can be passive. Whether sought out or happened upon, objects are found, objects are sentimental, objects are functional, objects are mended, and objects are saved.
In “Collection Collective”, our particular focus is on the exploration of the everyday object through the act of collecting. The accumulation of objects is commonplace and the intentional practice of collecting and publicly sharing these objects through digital means has become routine. The internet itself can be conceived of as a vast museum of widely varying and constantly evolving collections. Its familiar configuration has shifted the way we interpret information and objects in our minds as it provides a way to easily formulate both our internal thought and external physicality into organized digital systems. Baudrillard (1994) explains, “...the setting-up of a collection itself displaces real time…this is the fundamental project of all collecting – to translate real time into the dimensions of a system. Taste, curiosity, prestige, social intercourse, all of these may draw the collector into a wider sphere of relationships…” (p. 16). Baudrillard’s words describe the act of collecting, but he inadvertently relays how the internet provides an ideal environment to promote collecting through its extensive reach and capacity for social connection. Whether the object exists as a physical token, or is ephemeral such as a digital photograph or sound, or presents as documentation of the experiential, our definition of ‘object’ is expansive, and the aim is to encourage innovative ways of perceiving and exhibiting them. Language alone cannot describe our emotions, thoughts, and actions. This online learning space will be a tribute to the evocation and discovery of objects, and the tender, vivid, experiences they invoke.
Unlike many social media sites that serve as a digital extension for users’ real-life social interactions, the intention of “Collection Collective” is to connect participants from a variety of backgrounds and cultures in an environment that celebrates unique perspectives through the creative, multimodal sharing of intimate narratives and personally collected objects. The New London Group (1996) reminds us, “just as there are multiple layers to everyone’s identity, there are multiple discourses of identity and multiple discourses of recognition to be negotiated. We have to be proficient as we negotiate the many lifeworlds each of us inhabits, and the many lifeworlds we encounter in our everyday lives” (p. 71). This type of interaction amongst individuals who are essentially strangers can be seen on sites such as Reddit and Tumblr - it is this same sense of community that we hope to achieve, yet with a distinct focus that slows time and allows for guided intentional and thoughtful reflection. “Collection Collective'' is to be enjoyed and interacted with the way one might wander through a museum on a carefree sunday, or how one might curl up on a rainy day with a hot tea and a good book. While the majority of digital social environments are chaotic, instant and rapidly changing, “Collection Collective” is akin to intimate hand-written correspondence with a curious set of new penpals, and we hope this space will develop into an active affinity network. Ito et. al describes the concept of the affinity network,
...we see interests as cultivated through social and cultural relationships and located within what we call an “affinity network” of commonly felt identity, practice, and purpose. We draw from Jim Gee’s (2005) term “affinity spaces,” which he uses to describe online places where people interact around a common passion and/or set of commitments...(pp. 14-15, 2015, Ito et. al)
We believe the design of our space, created with an intention to share, educate and allow for the development of meaningful connections, is a kind of space that is lacking in our current digital landscape.