Typewriter Ribbon

Smith Corona, ca. 1970s

Plastic and nylon ribbon

1.3 x 732 cm

Found object

Personal collection

This typewriter ribbon was found on the side of the road in Ancaster, Ontario, still attached to a 1970s Smith Corona Prestige 100 c/t typewriter. It features a regular black ink ribbon as well as a strip of white correction tape adhered to plastic. The addition of the white tape made it much easier to go back and correct any mistakes by covering over the letter.

Despite being out of date and decades dried-up, something remains somewhat charming about this ball of useless tape. This raises the question as to where the value in an object really lies: Does a purpose-built object only maintain a use-based value that diminishes when it is not in practice or no longer useable, such as the case in this dried-up ribbon? It is safe to imagine that when this ribbon’s first ran out, when typewriters were still in regular use, that this object no longer held any perceptible value; it wasn’t useful, so it was now a piece of trash. However, sometime in between that time and now, as typewriter ribbon has lost its ubiquity, it has traded that ubiquity with a level of uniqueness, that with it, comes a new sense of intrigue and value. The same can be said for many objects and artifacts on display in museums the world over, once considered simply daily items with purpose and use, now filled with value as a hint towards the lives of different cultures across different eras. If it was possible for those things, is it also possible that the objects of today will also someday be viewed with similar perspectives?

Justin Luth