12 Objects
At the beginning of 2012 Ali Mobasser and I started working on the project that became '12 Objects'. Having been commissioned by Kate Edwards at The Guardian newspaper to produce a photo story showing the changes in a collection of everyday objects over the last century, we began with selection. From technology to body shape we attempted to choose objects that show as many aspects of daily life as possible.
Due to the nature of the project we focussed on finding individual collectors rather than approaching museums. With producers Sam Adam and O’Neil Edwards we found some amazing collectors and travelled up and down Great Britain to photograph their objects. Shooting in offices, living rooms, bedrooms, sheds and studios, the final photographs represent our visual decisions using research and the collectors knowledge to show how these objects have changed from 1900 to the present day.
With a final selection of ebay purchases to fill in gaps and a ridiculous amount of time spent trying to find a plastic milk carton from the 2000s, the project took the best part of a year to complete. Both Ali and I feel the photographs say so much about the positive and negative effects that objects have on our everyday lives, however we aimed to be as objective and archival as possible throughout, allowing the viewer to choose what they take from it.
The finished project was printed in a 9 page feature in the Guardian Weekend on 16th March 2013.
01. The Guardian
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
02. Telephone
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
03. Pram
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
04. One Pound
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
05. Hearing Aid
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
06. Mannequin
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
07. Milk Container
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
08. Music Format
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
09. Swimsuit
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
10. Keyboard
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
11. Jelly Mould
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
12. Alarm Clock
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Collectors
Jason Rodrigues / The Guardian / King's Cross
Max Flemmich / Telephone / Darvel
Pat Holgate & Daisy / Pram / Telford
Penny Fairley / Pram / Guildford
Barry Boswell / One Pound / Northamptonshire
Alan Humphries / Hearing Aid / Leeds
The Scanlon Family / Mannequin / Palmers Green
Eileen Driscoll / Mannequin / Acton
Tanya Reynolds / Mannequin / Clerkenwell
Paul Luke / Milk Container / Essex
Russell Weekes / Music Format / Dalston
Gerry Connolly / Swim Suit / Worthing
Nick Fisher & Simon Webb / Keyboard / Swindon
The Harris Family / Jelly Mould / Hackney
Roger Lacelles / Alarm Clock / Wimbledon