This blog is part of a series of written reflections by MA Documentary Film students at UAL. The students collaborated in small groups to create short films which responded to the David Usborne Collection. You can watch this film on our social media.
Rather than look at one or many objects, we thought we would explore the theme of the collection as a whole and what makes it special.
At first glance of the collection, the viewer is struck by a sense of intrigue. These objects are all interesting to look at, but why and what are they? What links them together? We asked David Usborne what he’s looking for in an object for the collection. He said, “I am looking for objects that combine some or all of these qualities […] Mysterious function, elegant shape, allusive appearance, (i.e., they remind me of faces, figures, plants, or animals).”
Each individual item holds at least one of these qualities and draws the eye and mind as a result. However, what we found particularly interesting is that the individual items hold relatively little value on their own. David says, “The decorative objects collected even by famous people only survive as a group by association to their collector”. This made us think more widely about what exactly gives things value.
So, what is special about this collection? David says it appears, “As an alternative to conventional collections, based on traditional ‘beauty’, rarity or value.” Perhaps we should challenge what we consider to be ‘beauty’ and we might find it in unlikely places.
As a group we found it extremely interesting exploring his collection and discussing our favourite objects some of which have been included in this post. We would recommend anyone with some free time to peruse the collection. You will get sucked in trying to guess what object each is for and spending an equal amount of time admiring its form!
Working as a team, we took on tasks according to our strengths and interests. As it’s only a short social video, the challenge was to convey our message without overcrowding it. We hope we intrigued you enough to make you want to explore the collection more!
Research: Liela Ibrahim, Joseph Owen
Blog: Alex Kendall
Voice Over: Joseph Owen
Film Editing and Post Production: Gangjian Baima, Rui Li