THE THINGS WE KEEP is a part of TALK TO ME at MoMA

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The Museum of Modern Art has invited Christian Svanes Kolding to contribute his work, THE THINGS WE KEEP, to their summer exhibition, TALK TO ME: DESIGN AND THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND OBJECTS.

THE THINGS WE KEEP is a two-minute exploration of the meaning of keepsakes and household objects, featuring aspects of augmented reality and tagging. The stop motion film that was hand-made with a point and shoot camera will take its place in MoMA's gallery alongside the works of artists and designers from all over the world.

"What would it look like to walk into someone's home and discover that the objects inside could speak on their own behalf?" says Christian Svanes Kolding. "I imagined that through technological innovations, the objects themselves could tell me why they are where they are, and how they got there. The mystery of their origins and journeys would be revealed. That was the idea that drove THE THINGS WE KEEP."

Organized by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture & Design at MoMA, TALK TO ME explores the communication between people and things and is based on the assumption that contemporary objects contain information that goes well beyond their immediate use or appearance. The exhibition focuses on objects that establish an emotional, sensual, or intellectual connection with their users.

"The film itself is positioned in the entrance to the third floor gallery, where several videos offer an introduction to the exhibition," explains Kolding. "In this context, THE THINGS WE KEEP serves as an anchor of sorts, in that it is the final piece one experiences before entering the main gallery. Taken as a whole, the introductory pieces progress from the highly abstract to the very tangible, from unobtainable to very obtainable; and THE THINGS WE KEEP, in particular, offers a grounded view of augmented reality and tagging in a personal and meaningful way.".

Christian Svanes Kolding is a director of films and media objects. His work focuses on the beauty and simplicity in the fleeting moments of everyday life. He is from Copenhagen and currently lives in Brooklyn.

The show opened on July 24 and runs through November 7, 2011.

Press enquiries regarding the show can be made to Daniela Stigh, Assistant Director, Department of Communications, Museum of Modern Art at daniela (underscore) stigh (at) moma (dot) org

Thank you.

Websites of interest:
THE FILM THE THINGS WE KEEP
MoMA's TALK TO ME
THE FILM on MoMA's site: THE THINGS WE KEEP
DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN SVANES KOLDING

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