barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her house

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her house

in the ‘katalog’ project, barbara iweins shares photographs of all the 10.532 objects in her house, isolated and classified according to specific criteria. for two years, 15 hours a week, the belgian photographer spent time in voluntary isolation, documenting all her possessions as an experiment to help her face the value of her belongings in total honesty. 

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseoverview of the objects on the ‘katalog’ website

all images courtesy of katalog-barbara iweins

 

 

‘in april 2018, when opening the last of the moving boxes, I was confronted with all my belongings once again,’ notes barbara iweins in the ‘katalog’ project website. ‘it made me question the continuous cycle of my insane and irrational accumulation and the relationship I have with the objects that surround me. the real value that I assign to them (their necessity, their familiarity, their rarity, their oddity…), the feelings they fill me with, the ties that connect me to them, so much so that I need their presence, physically or mentally.’ therefore, in order to come to terms with everything she owned, iweins spent 15 hours a week for two years, photographing all the 10,532 objects in her house. she then classified everything according to specific criteria, such as material, color, frequency of use, and emotional value. barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseobjects by frequency: never

 

 

in making ‘katalog’, iweins deliberately isolated each object on a neutral light grey background to take it out of its environment and discover its true value to her. additionally, the photographer set some limitations while going through the process, deciding not to photograph certain things such as fixed things in the house, food, two-dimensional objects, separate parts of a whole, or more than 30 of the same objects. 

 

‘during my voluntary confinement, I read a lot about the search for material happiness,’ explains iweins. ‘over time, I realised that most of my possessions are more a source of confusion than pleasure. I feel little attachment to them, but at the same time, isolating my possessions (even the most ordinary one) and classifying them according to specific criteria, gives them an importance and a certain subjective beauty. as such, even a bottle of cough syrup that leaks down the sides develops an aesthetic interest that I would like to retain. I hoped to say goodbye to many things, but ended up loving so much more of my belongings.’

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her house objects by material: fabric

 

 

barbara iweins is a belgian photographer who has started her artistic career in amsterdam where she has lived for a number of years. a collector since a tender age, she continues to classify, gather and archive her photographic subjects according to strict criteria. iweins plans to present ‘katalog’ in 2020/2021; in the meantime, you can see more of the project here.

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseobjects: ‘what I would save in a fire’barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseobjects by room: living

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseobjects by color: pink

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her houseobjects by color: black

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her house

overview of the objects

barbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her housevisualization on the exterior of a buildingbarbara iweins spent two years photographing and classifying all 10.532 objects in her housevisualization inside a room

 

 

project info:

 

 

name: katalog

photographer: barbara iweins

KEEP UP WITH OUR DAILY AND WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS
suscribe on designboom
- see sample
- see sample
suscribe on designboom

PRODUCT LIBRARY

a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

X
5