Objects & Us
Objects & Us examines the necessary role that art and creativity have played in our lives. It is a love letter to both the everyday and exceptional objects from around the globe that carry so many stories and so much history. Written by Gus Casely-Hayford, director of the V&A East Museum in London, the book presents items from the museum’s vast artifact collection as necessary expressions of human need.
The book is divided into 12 chapters named after those needs: “Warmth” includes an ornate 18th-century brocaded silk gown, while “Food” features an elaborate surrealist cutlery set designed by Salvador Dali. A chapter titled “Health” showcases Iranian artist Bita Ghezelayagh’s 2021 “Golden Spider Mask,” which she made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and called her “lockdown friend.”
What the book makes clear is that every documented culture in history has collected objects and imbued them with special value. So, perhaps making and collecting objects is one of the things that actually makes us human. Filled with colourful and engaging images throughout, this is a fascinating read that would be perfect for fans of art, history, design, and sociology.
Check out the rest of our books - we have a good few of them here at designist.
Who wrote it?
Gus Casely-Hayford
How does it come?
hardback, 23.4 x 15.6 cm approx., 272 pages