I found this teapot while doing an eBay search for weird pottery one night. It wasn’t marked very well, so no one would have found it. It didn’t have any identification besides a mysterious ‘N’ signature on the bottom, but I loved it, and the bidding was at $5, so I got it for maybe $12 with shipping. When it arrived, I was obsessed with it and it kickstarted an idea of collecting teapots, but weird sculptural or artist-made ones. This has now grown into a collection of sculptural pitchers, strange vases, and studio pottery in general.
Sometimes when I find something I get this feeling that it was meant for me – that maybe that’s why it was buried on eBay and had the wrong keyword. It’s like it was waiting for me, knowing that’s the only way I’d be able to afford it. And with this teapot, it felt like I was the only one who could appreciate it, too. I showed it to so many people and they were like ‘Oh, okay, cool.’ My mom asked, ‘Did someone in high school art class make that?’ For me, a child could have made it, it doesn’t matter; it’s about how it makes you feel. I’ve always been fascinated with pieces by no-name people, or art students, where maybe that’s the only thing they’ve ever made. The pieces that don’t get any recognition. That said, I’ve since discovered that this teapot is by the Florida potter Charles Nalley. It’s wild. Is it even supposed to be functional? And why did everyone make weird teapots in the 80s? I don’t even like tea, which is the funniest part.”
~ Testimony by Abigail Campbell, Vintage Dealer, Miami, from How to Live with Objects by Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer (Sight Unseen, 2022).
At home, we are surrounded by objects. For many people, the objects in their homes are mainly functional or utilitarian as opposed to decorative. One way to think of objects is to think of them as being either passive or active. Passive objects simply exist in the background of our lives, sitting there unnoticed until we need to use them. Objects which are merely utilitarian are passive. But even a decorative object like a vase can be passive if it means absolutely nothing to us. Maybe we purchased it to fill a corner of the house or to make a table top look less empty.
Active objects, on the other hand, have a positive energy that keeps drawing your attention to them because of their aesthetic beauty or because they activate certain meanings or feelings inside you. These feelings could be joyful or melancholic; perhaps they bring back memories of a person, or a time and place in your life. Perhaps they express aspects of the human condition. Or perhaps they evoke in you a sense of profound spirituality. Whatever it is, you want to be in their presence, you want to look at them and feel their presence wash over you the way passive objects don’t. An active object can be a painting, a sculpture, a piece of jewellery, or a rough clay bowl. It doesn’t matter whether it was made by a famous artist or a high-school student; it is the quality of feelings an object evoke that makes it active. Active objects are like welcome guests. “If you invite a few objects into your house, it’s the same as inviting a few people over,” says the Berlin-based curator Matylda Krzykowski.
I am myself a collector of active objects. At home, I am surrounded by paintings; some were purchased and some I painted. I also have a room dedicated to my collection of Japanese and Western ceramics in a layout that mimics an art gallery. In the middle of my gallery is a cozy armchair and beside it, a simple standing lamp. This is my “happiness room”; it is where I go to relax, to contemplate, to read, and to look at the art pieces around. Below you can see what are some of the objects in this room.
Coming back to the topic: I truly believe that having active objects in a house can make a big difference to one’s life. Well-made objects – those created by artists or at least designed by them in limited quantities – can spark joy and meaning to our lives. In a world where everything seems so fleeting, holding an artisanal bowl or vase your hands can impart a transcendent-like feeling that you’re holding something that’s made to last.
Practical Tips
There’s no one right way to live with objects. The whole point of furnishing your home with objects is to make it as personal as possible, so you can live in a space that represents you and engages you. The goal is to harmonise your live with your objects, and to have fun while you’re doing it. Therefore, buy the things that truly resonate with you, for these are the things you will treasure for a long time. As Keats’s immortal line says, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever”
Second, almost anyone live joyfully with objects. As Abigail Campbell reminds us, one doesn’t need to be rich to collect fine objects. There are literally scores of online marketplaces on the Internet that sell objects from all conceivable price ranges, from a few dollars to six figures. One thing that definitely does not determine whether an object is good is how much it is worth. If an object is “well resolved”, meaning it is well-executed, has no design features that you would want to add or take away, if it represents your identity (some people love mid-century objects, while others prefer modern abstract), and most importantly, if it “speaks” to you, that is the object you want to consider getting. I have one simple rule that I’ve come up with to help me whether or not to acquire an object: if I can look at the object for more than five minutes, with my heart still skipping at the end of it, I want that object home.
Third, you don’t have to be a decorator to live with objects. Decorating is about arranging the elements of a space in order to achieve an overarching artistic vision. In decorating, that vision is the star. In collecting objects, however, the objects themselves are the stars. The primary joy simply comes from acquiring and appreciating them. When you buy a weird mug, or a monochrome sunshine yellow vase, you aren’t doing it because you’ve found the perfect match for your kitchen top or your windowsill. You are doing it because those objects speak to you in some meaningful way. You love them because they’re interesting, well-made, delightful to look at, or feel tactile to the touch. “I think the best interiors are less contrived and more emotionally driven – it’s more about how they make you feel than how they look,” says Alex Gilbert, associate director of the Friedman Benda gallery in New York. “Our apartment isn’t designed; it’s just an assemblage of things we like … That feels less intimidating than ‘I need to draw up a floor plan and figure out every single object.’”
Objects in My Home
This rare vase was made by Colin Melbourne (1928-2009) for the renowned UK pottery firm, Beswick in the 1950s. The abstract form of the vase was influenced by Henry Moore, who is famous for his abstract reclining bronze and clay figures. Colin Melbourne studied at the Burslem School of Art before going on to work for Wedgwood in Stoke. He later studied at the Royal Collage of Art before becoming a freelance ceramics designer. Best known for the freeform, modernist vessels and animal figures he designed for Beswick in the 1950s, Melbourne stands as one of the most innovative and forward-looking ceramic artists in post-war England.
Gallery of Other Artisanal Objects
The following objects are featured in the book, How to Live with Objects by Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer (Sight Unseen, 2022). Highly recommended if you’re into living with objects.
