My three month period in Vietnam has come to an end. The project isn’t over yet though, so I will continue to work for FLS from The Netherlands.
Today I want to show you these small traditional plates I bought as souvenirs in Hoi An. They are old, some are a bit chipped and their shine has gone with time. They’re all the same traditional blue-grey color, yet not identical. I like them a lot, because the irregularity and imperfection is exactly what gives them their charm. And, apart from their aesthetic quality, the memory of my time in Vietnam makes them even more beautiful to me. Which got me thinking about their previous owners. If it’s true what the lady who sold them to me said, these plates have a history that goes back 150 years. Isn’t it fun to imagine all the meals these little plates have witnessed, the cupboards they’ve stood in, the hands of their owners who cleaned them again and again? The world has changed a lot in 150 years, their maker has probably died a long time ago and now these silent witnesses have travelled half the world to stand next to my computer whith a piece of pure chocolate while I’m typing this blogpost. Amazing, don’t you think? I guess this is exactly why people pay millions for Michael Jackson’s socks. The illusion of being close to a person through the objects you’ve both touched.
But not only old objects, or the ones once owned by famous people, have a story. The gift you just bought for christmas has already got a history too. One of the things I learned from partaking in this project is how each product you see in the shops has been touched by many people before it’s on display. Somebody made it, somebody checked it’s quality, somebody wrapped it, somebody drove it to a distribution center. Each object has been touched by people who’s life you will never cross. And they in turn know nothing of your existence. If only objects could talk..