Things/Stuff/objects

Digital print on paper sculptures and online archive
2021, 2023-2024


Things/Stuff/Objects is about the things we decide to keep, the stuff that are neither precious enough to display nor worthless enough to discard, and the objects that we believe might be useful someday. This project started with my personal habit of keeping things in transparent plastic boxes, transforming my belongings into uniformed cuboids that stacks neatly on shelves. Widely available across different countries, these plastic boxes point to a shared, almost universal habit and need to store our belongings.

Arranged in a disorganized manner, the work invites viewers to rearrange the boxes like building blocks. It draws on our curiosity to peer into other people’s things . It reflects on how value is assigned to objects and how these objects, though condense into boxes, can become a snapshot of a person's habits, priorities and personality at a particular moment in time.

This work is accompanied by an online archive at https://www.cynthiadsuwito.com/archive.html



Contribute to The Library of Boxes

We are looking to expand our collection of boxes with public contributions.
Installation view of the exhibition Keys Under the Sofa at Hock Siong, Singapore in 2024
Picture
installation view at Jalan Besar Salon, Singapore, 2021
This archive would not have been possible without the contributions from Chen Sai Hua Kuan, Doreen Tan, Lau Zi Hua, Shirly Koh, Stephanie Mary, Tan Hong Xiang, Teng Kee Wee, and Yen Pang.