Objects
What the handle changes about a cup
A cup's handle changes the relationship between the vessel and the hand.
All stories
Search & filter
Filters
A fresh start
No stories found.
Try a broader search or choose another section.
Objects
Start reading a bowl at its edge
The edge of a bowl is where its inside and outside meet.
Objects
A container tells a story about access
A container controls access as well as holding something.
Objects
Look at the edge of a woven cloth
A cloth's edge can reveal changes in structure that disappear when you look only at its overall colour.
Objects
Describe the place where two materials meet
Where two materials meet, the object often changes character.
Looking
Read the label, then look again
A museum label is a starting point for looking, not a replacement for the object beside it.
Looking
Give a photographed object a sense of scale
A close photograph can make a small object look monumental.
Looking
Describe wear before explaining it
Wear is visible evidence of change, but its cause is often less certain than its shape.
Looking
Ask what a replica is meant to show
A replica can explain one part of an object while leaving another part uncertain.
Looking
Notice what a display places beside an object
An object is rarely displayed alone.
Keeping
Write a family-photo caption that can be corrected
A family-photo caption should preserve what is known and leave a clear place for corrections.
Keeping
Make an inventory for a small collection
A small collection needs an inventory that helps you find and distinguish its objects.
Keeping
Give loose papers a useful first home
Loose papers need a useful first home before they need a perfect classification.
Keeping
Write down how a fragile object was packed
A packing note explains how a fragile object was placed in its container.
Keeping
Keep a record when an object leaves a collection
When an object leaves a collection, its record should explain where it went and what information travelled with it.
Context
Leave room for a gap in an object’s history
An object's history can contain a gap without becoming an invitation to invent a connecting story.
Context
Separate a source from the story built around it
A source and the story built from it should remain distinguishable.
Context
Keep a speaker’s words distinct from your notes
An oral account contains a speaker's words, your questions and your later interpretation.
Context
Write a date when the date is uncertain
An uncertain date should show both the estimate and its basis.
Context
Follow a craft term back to its context
A craft term can change meaning across trades, places and periods.
