Collection of Decorative Beads

Maker unknown, ,2013

Glazed ceramic, metal wire

1.6 x 1.2 x 1.4 cm (each bead)

Purchased in Mexico (unnamed seller), 2014

Personal collection

These beads were acquired during a trip to Mexico in 2014. They are shaped and painted like a variety of animals--a llama, a dragon, a cow, a walrus, and a horse. Acquired in a Christmas market from a local artisan, their diminutive size and fanciful designs were attractive and they were purchased as souvenirs.

These objects illustrate how travel and the process of collecting souvenirs situates objects in a new context. While I appreciated the objects for their aesthetic value when I first saw them, I did not - and still do not -understand their cultural significance or the context in which they were created. Thus, in purchasing these objects I may have supported the local economy but in no way worked as a curator, being responsible to the community to represent it faithfully.

Instead of seeking to better understand their history, a new context was built for these objects. These beads are associated with the past, specifically with memories of my trip, of family, and of newfound financial autonomy - they were purchased with my own money that I had earned. Thus, they are representative of a formational time in my late childhood. The fantastical quality and subject matter of some of the beads, and their small size, also contribute to their association with childhood, and they possess a sense of nostalgia. I did not preserve the original meaning of the beads but built a new meaning for them, in a way similar to the creators of the first wunderkammer. Ascribing new, personal meaning to collected objects was common practice in the assembly of the original wunderkammer: travellers would collect objects they deemed significant during their journeys, regardless of cultural significance, and would display them in collections when they returned home.

These beads are significant not because of their practical use and familiarity, but because of their novelty. The beads were acquired based on their interesting physical appearance and displayed because they are compelling even to those who know nothing about them. As they were redefined as a limited collection of related objects, the beads were elevated to new status and have since been treated with preference. For example, throughout their time in my possession I have hesitated in using these beads for their original purpose. Also, the associated memories have changed the purpose of these beads, and to incorporate them into another work - be it jewelry, embroidery or otherwise - would contradict with their current meaning. Thus, they have remained a limited collection now available for viewing.

Emma Wichert