Curating Treasures

Items I found in my grandmother's basement.

TOTEMs, were described by Ray Eames as an acronym for The Objects That Evoke Meaning.

Whether or not you refer to them as treasures or TOTEMS, they are items that remind you of someone or someplace special, or items that simply make you feel good when you see them.  I was fortunate to visit an Eames Exhibit in Singapore several years ago.  It is where I learned about TOTEMS, and where I viewed some of the items, TOTEMS, Charles and Ray Eames collected and displayed in their studio.  This TOTEM idea made total sense to me.  I have referred to mine as "Treasures," and I have been collecting them since childhood.  Most of them are insignificant.  They have no significant value except in my heart.

TOTEMS from Charles and Ray Eames' Studio

I like to display my treasures.  Seeing them everyday inspires me.  Having them on view also helps me keep my treasures to a minimum.  Chaos and clutter makes me anxious.  Watching A&E's Hoarders makes me compulsively clean my closets.  I gather my displays with  a common thread to help calm the clutter.  Sometimes the items are all the same, but often the items are gathered together because they share a common color, size or material.

Gathering like items with a similar color scheme, on a small tray, gives these treasures cohesion.

Rusted Iron, Wood, Leather and Vintage Graphics
pulls this collection together. 

Chaos isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just not my thing.  "Chaos" can be the common thread in a collection, and then sometimes chaos is just chaos.  Passion is the thing that turns chaos into a collection.  I took the photo below of a street vendor's stall in Hong Kong.  It looks like a scene straight out of Hoarders, but I could feel the vendor's passion.  I was afraid to touch any of it, but I stared at it for a very long time.  These items to him were TOTEMS, and I could feel it.  I am saying you should collect objects that move you.  You will find a way to display them that inspires you and others. 

 A Street Vendor's Stall in Hong Kong / Chaotic Treasures 

Some things to consider when curating your treasures:

Display glass in a strong light source.  Its reflectiveness is what makes it interesting.

Display items in mass - three or more.

Books make great props.  Use them as a backdrop, or a base to lift objects up.

Gather items together in small groupings. 

Use color to unify a collection.

Keep your treasures only as long as they still inspire you.

 

Display Glass in a strong light source.  Its reflectiveness is what makes it interesting.

These two collections work well together.  There's a visual dialogue between the Elephant and the Buddha's,
 as well as a common thread with the color orange.