Object Culture

Writing Journal Object Culture

Writing Prompt #1: Childhood Collections

When I was younger, my parents bought me one of the bug collector kits you can find at any store. The kit had a little enclosure you could put the bugs in, a plastic magnifying glass, and tweezers so you didn’t have to actually touch the bugs. I was so fascinated by bugs and amphibians that every time my mother saw me I was hiding some kind of small creature from her, just so she wouldn’t make me put it down. I wouldn’t consider me housing bugs a collection since you would have to have them all at the same time for it to be classified as a collection, but I had a different kind of creature in my enclosure every week. I would like to clarify that the creatures I kept inside would always make their way back outside due to my mother hating having them in the house. I grew up in a very small town so there was nothing to do which is why I found joy in collecting these little creatures. From what I can remember my “collection” included grasshoppers, praying mantises, frogs, toads, snakes, and other little things like birds and mice.  If I had to make a connection between collecting bugs and how that helped develop me as a person, I’d say that collecting all these creatures made me more caring. While it may not seem like it now because I took these creatures out of their natural habitats, at the time I thought I was giving them a new luxurious life with me. I believed that I was saving them from the cruel outdoors, which isn’t exactly true, but my heart was in the right place. As I’ve mentioned, my parents bought this kit for me which helped my hobby of collecting these creatures. My mother would help me return them back to where they were supposed to go so I wouldn’t end up hurting them by accident and my father always helped me because he thought it was funny to see my mother in distress with these insects in the house. I think having these connections growing up helped me realize the support system that I have as well as keeping my parents from getting bored. Looking back, it was a pretty odd collection to have but it definitely taught me a lot of lessons on caring for creatures and just being kind to smaller creatures in general. 

Writing Prompt #2: Bizarre collections Pt. 1

While scouring the internet for bizarre collections, there were a lot of interesting ones, but the kinds of collections that truly piqued my interest are the ones of childhood toys. I thought it was interesting that there are 40+ year olds with massive collections of pooh bears or characters from Star Wars. Looking past the cute teddy bears or awesome action figures, I saw a much darker reasoning for collecting these. I saw these adults who are desperately trying to reconnect with their childhood, whether that be because life was better back then or they believe they need to make up for their crappy childhood years by providing the toys they couldn’t get back then. While these adults could just be collecting it because they think it’s a fun hobby, I believe they’re collecting these toys in order to heal their inner childhood trauma. Their collections are a reminder that there’s only so much you can do to heal that trauma. It shows the significance of being able to move on from issues in the past because you don’t want to spend your whole life trying to appease a past version of yourself. While taking the collections I had looked at into account, I came up with a bizarre collection that I think seems good at first thought but when looked further into brings up a rising issue on the campus of SUNY New Paltz. My idea for a bizarre collection is to find a piece of trash every day while walking to class that another individual littered. I’ve noticed while walking to class a lot of random garbage on the grass of parker quad or even on the walk back to my dorm in Esopus. I believe it’ll be truly interesting to see if I can find a new piece of trash on the ground every day. This concept seems like good community service but in reality, it’s bringing up the issue of SUNY New Paltz students, which like to pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, not being able to clean up after themselves when it should be simple.

Writing Prompt #3: Fetish Objects

While looking more into the term Fetish, which is defined as a strong and unusual need or desire for something, I came across body modifications. Body modifications consist of many things, ranging from piercings to surgeries that alter your body- such as plastic surgery. Starting off with the art of tattooing, that has been speculated to have been founded by accident from someone who had an injury and rubbed it with a hand covered in soot and dirt which, once the wound healed, left a permanent mark. While tattooing has such an unknown beginning point, it has records of being used all the way back in the upper paleolithic period in Europe (around 10,000 years ago). This permanent form of body modification was found in many cultures on different continents, all with different meanings and purposes. An example of this drastic change in meanings between cultures starts out with the continent of Asia. In Asia, specifically China, tattoos were used as a form of marker on criminals or bad members of society to show average citizens that they should stay away from these individuals. While this was true for Asia, Egypt is believed to have used tattoos for a decorative reason but there’s also arguments that tattoos were used medically; They found evidence of it possibly being used to treat pelvic peritonitis. Samoan culture was completely different though as getting tattoos by hand has been a practice passed down through generations. They hold tattooing ceremonies in order to mark a younger chief’s ascension to a leadership role in society. Tattoos for them represent, as well as celebrate, their dedication to their culture and their great endurance. The art of tattooing has been around for many centuries, gaining different meanings in all sorts of cultures, but body modifications don’t just end there. Another body modification that people don’t usually acknowledge when it comes down to it are body piercings. Piercings date back to biblical times and even earlier. They also have a strong connection to many different cultures. In ancient African cultures, lip piercings were and still are very prevalent. In modern times, amongst the Mursi people in Ethiopia, lip plates are used mostly for aesthetics while in Sudan some cultures wear lip plates because lip plates are to women as mustaches are to men. Another example of the differences amongst cultures is in Israel where nose and ear piercings were prevalent. Recorded in the Torah from prophet Ezekiel, while describing God’s tenderness to the Israelites, he describes God “decking you out in finery… I put a ring in your nose, and earrings in your ears”. This means that if your husband were to refuse you getting a nose piercing, you could say “It’s written in the Torah”. The different aspects of body modifications have developed greatly over time with our changing society. In current times, body modifications have started being used more for a way of self-expression. Body modifications will never lose their old meanings in cultures, as it’s still used today in many cultures, but it’s grown into more of an art form that everyone can participate in. Today people get piercings because they think they will look cute or even cool with it. People get tattoos for a lot of the same reasons, except tattoos are normally used to show meaning for something greater such as a loved one. The development of body modifications through the ages has been beautiful to follow and see what the end result has become.

Piercing in the Bible – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)

Piercings have a long history in Africa and they were not just for beauty – Page 6 of 6 – Face2Face Africa

Ouch: The History of Piercing | Marie Claire

History of Tattoos: A Complete Timeline – AuthorityTattoo

Writing prompt #4: Kitsch Objects

Imagine this, you’re driving on the interstate and as you’re getting ready to pass a car you see it has… eyelashes? Car eyelashes are a fun and interesting way to decorate your car, moving away from the traditional racing stripes and flames. The brand CarLashes has been around since July 2010, gaining many fans since opening their shop. CarLashes have now been sold in over 150 countries and are available on-line and in over 10,000 stores worldwide. They have been featured in fashion magazines such as Marie Claire and Vogue, and been reviewed by Rachael Ray and Jay Leno. Let’s be real here, CarLashes are only for a niche group of people with a select taste. The majority of the population sees them as ugly and would never want them on their car, but those same people smile when they happen to come across one during everyday life. Personally, I have pink eyelashes on my car and It’s not because I’m convinced it makes my car look cute- I just think it’s fun and gets people looking. CarLashes are a good conversation starter and there’s always someone asking “Why?”. This object is funny in an ironic way, because why would a car need eyelashes? It’s a machine yet we decorate it with pink eyelashes and rhinestones to give it a cute aesthetic as though the car cares. I think it’s interesting as not a lot of people choose to decorate their car in this way, but when you meet someone that does have them you can tell it’s just to make others happy. CarLashes come in all sorts of colors and I don’t see them going out of fashion anytime soon.

Writing prompt #5: Cultural Icons

While there have been many consoles before the creation of the PS2 (such as the Wii, Nintendo, Xbox, etc.), none of them quite hit the mark of being the greatest console of all time. Since the creation of Playstation 2’s in the year 2000, they have managed to sell over 155 million units of these consoles. Twenty-three years later and it still manages to be the most sold console, even after the release of the newest version, the PS5. The PS2 managed to get so popular due to its ability to be compatible with the PS1. The PS1 was Sony’s introduction to the video game industry and this system introduced many impactful games such as Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Due to the fact you could still run these PS1 games on the PS2, people were going crazy for it; The concept of a new console that had the ability to allow you to play the old games you loved and also being able to use your memory cards and PS1 controllers with the system as well. This feature made it all too easy to switch to a newer version, which is what gave the PS2 such a huge boost from the beginning. Another feature that helped make the PS2 so popular was the collection of exclusive games they were offering, they had many partners and studios that allowed this to happen. The PS2 saw over 3500 games across its lifetime and there was always a selection of interesting titles, whether exclusive or multi-platform. Often when new consoles come out, it takes awhile for exclusives to be brought to the console but PS2 did an amazing job offering them right away. Another big draw of the PS2 is that it doubled as a DVD player, something the GameCube and Xbox didn’t offer. In 2000 this was a big deal as many consumers were still making the jump from VHS to DVD. This meant that you could pick up a DVD player AND a game console at the same time with no extra cost, plus it was a great way to save space in your home. The PS2 even had another iteration made; The PS2 slim which was just a smaller PS2. The PS2 was still being manufactured many years after the PS3 came out, even having new games come out for it as well. The Ps2 was on the market for 13 years which is an insane amount of time for any console. The PS2 was and will continue to be the greatest console to hit the market, It caused multiple changes in the console market and I believe it deserves the title of a cultural Icon.

Writing Prompt #6: Fashion & Identity

While searching through the multitudes of different fashion cultures, I came across the goth subculture. The goth subculture is a music based subculture that arose in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. This subculture was derived from gothic rock which is an offshoot of the post punk music genre. Some of the artists who helped shape this new upcoming subculture are Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, the Cure, and Joy Division. An interesting aspect of this subculture is that it has survived much longer than other subcultures of its time, continuing to diversify and spread throughout the world. Due to the imagery connected to the subculture, it’s said to gain a lot of inspiration from 19th century gothic fiction and from horror films.The music preferred by goths includes a number of styles such as gothic rock, death rock, cold wave, dark wave, and ethereal wave. The Gothic fashion style draws influences from punk, new wave, New Romantic fashion and the dressing styles of earlier periods such as the Victorian, Edwardian, and Belle Époque eras. The gothic subculture emerged from the post-punk music scene and is characterized by a love for the occult. Their style includes a certain dark fashion aesthetic, including black clothing, black nail polish and lipstick, dramatic makeup, and dyed hair. Victorian romanticism also influenced the style, bringing pale skin, tight-laced corsets, and long elegant dresses. The gothic subculture has remained the same since the beginning but has had many subcultures that sprouted from it; All of which interpret the gothic subculture differently. Some of these include Romantic Goth, Cyber Goth, Steampunk, Deathrock, and Gothability. As with many subcultures, Gothic fashion and its followers have often been misunderstood. The mainstream media has occasionally portrayed goths as morbid or linked the style with negative behaviors. Yet, those within the community often speak of unity, self-expression, and a deep appreciation for beauty in the overlooked or obscure. This subculture is known for its emphasis on individualism, tolerance for diversity, a strong emphasis on creativity, tendency towards intellectualism, and a mild tendency towards cynicism. Goth ideology is based far more on aesthetics and simplified ethics than politics. Overall the fashion in this subculture fully envelops the ideas within this subculture, making sure that everyone is their true individual self, even if it doesn’t fit society’s norms.

Writing Prompt #7: Family Heirlooms

My family has never been very sentimental when it comes to belongings. I wouldn’t say that we have anything that is really a “family heirloom” but there are many things that I’ve been given over the years that have sentimental meaning to me. One of these items is a tiny porcelain seal that my Grammy gave me. I can’t really explain why this ended up being so important to me as it truly is just a silly trinket that my Grammy gave me, but it will forever be something I hold dear to me. I remember the day she gave me this trinket, I was playing in her “makeup” bag (she never wore makeup, unless it was a special day) and I found the seal just loosely in the bag. When I asked her what the seal was for, she said it was just one of those things you get and put away as it didn’t really have any meaning for her. She told me I could have it and I think just the fact it came from her truly means something to me because I really do love my Grammy as she’s always there for me to talk to and joke with. My grammy has always given me things even though she isn’t very well off, and I love her for even thinking of me and putting effort into getting me something I’ll love. Continuing on about her, she sat me down and told me not too long ago about how she is getting older and how her health is getting worse, so she doesn’t know how much longer she has left. This was a truly heartbreaking topic to have to hear as she’s always been a strong straight-forward woman that I look up to. During this conversation she told me that she knows how much I adore earrings (I have like 80+ pairs of earrings at this point) and she wants me to have the earrings that she wears every day when she passes as they hold a lot of value to her due to them being the nicest jewelry she owns that was passed down to her. Hopefully, she has many years ahead of her and these earrings won’t be in my possession for a very long time, but this conversation just reminded me of something meaningful I’d hold onto for the rest of my life. One more object that holds a lot of sentimental value to me is a gift from my father. He wood burned me a piece of wood that has our tribe’s emblem on it. We are from the Passamaquoddy tribe, and he always tried to get me more in touch with that, which is why it holds so much meaning as it’s a part of who I am, and it was a handmade gift from him. I don’t really get to see my father much anymore so I think special memories like that with him are things I will always try and hold onto. While my family doesn’t have any heirlooms, I have many things that hold great meaning to me as an individual.

Writing Prompt #8: Objects/materials of Desire

While there are many things that humans do which end up having a negative impact either on society or the earth, the one we will be talking about today is electric cars- more importantly, their batteries. Many could argue that electric cars have a vast amount of pros compared to the cons. The pros of electric cars is their low fuel costs- while the charger is expensive, overall the price and time wasted on getting gas every week makes getting the charger worth it. Gas powered vehicles produce tailpipe emissions which are bad for the environment while electric vehicles don’t have tailpipes and don’t directly inject greenhouse gasses into the environment. Though the pros of an electric car seem very enticing, the toll that making these cars has on the environment is not. The battery of an electric car contains lithium; Lithium mining creates a considerable amount of pollution to our water, soil, and air. Lithium mining also requires a massive amount of water (Approximately 500,000 gallons of water get used for every ton of lithium mined.) which is very scarce in parts of the world. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are large amounts of lithium-ion waste. “For example, in Australia, “only two percent of the country’s 3,300 metric tons” of lithium-ion batteries get recycled. The lithium-ion waste typically ends up in landfills, where it can potentially leak into the environment” (motorbiscuit). The batteries for these cars also contain cobalt which has practically the same effect on the environment- polluting the water, soil, and air. The mining required for these batteries actually violates our human rights. One of the human rights, as defined by the United Nations, is “access to safe, sufficient and affordable water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.” With this in mind, lithium mining for EV car batteries violates human rights. This is because it wastes a considerable amount of water in dry areas — and causes water contamination. The United Nations has also declared that “having a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right.” As was discussed previously, lithium and cobalt mining causes water, air, and soil contamination which in-turn violates this human right. Furthermore, much of the lithium and cobalt mining is in impoverished areas. Miners often work in deplorable and unsafe conditions. Most of them have a low pay level that places them well below the poverty line. The question of whether or not electric cars are worth it or not brings up a difficult question. Electric cars fix the issue of tailpipe emissions being directly put out into the world but it also creates a lot more pollution in the production of these cars. Overall, I don’t believe the version of electric cars we have right now are worth it and I believe we should just test out the alternatives to lithium and cobalt in these batteries before this does irreversible damage.

Writing Prompt #9: Female Inventors and Small Objects that Revolutionized the World

Throughout history there have been a multitude of women inventors who created the first version of objects we continue to know and use to this day. The only issue with this is that many of these amazing women do not get the recognition they deserve. In the past men ruled the world, with many of those men not acknowledging the amazing ideas that women have. There have been many cases where companies wait until their patent runs up until they use their ideas. An example of this happening is with Mary Anderson, the inventor of the windshield wiper. When she first created this device, she had reached out to as many companies as she could think of that could benefit from using the windshield wiper. During this period, many people did not see the usefulness in this device and therefore no companies accepted her proposal. This all changed in 1920, which is the year the patent she had on this invention ran up, many companies were realizing the usefulness of her invention and were able to profit off her original ideas. Her invention was ahead of its time, it doesn’t help that most men simply didn’t listen or respect women during that time.  Another example of men getting all the credit for an amazing invention made from women would be the game now known as Monopoly. Elizabeth Maggie came up with a very insightful game which was created in order to highlight the wrongs of making money at the expense of others. This game she created was known as “landlords game” and it was a practical demonstration of the present system of land grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences. She based the game on the economic principles of Georgism, a system proposed by Henry George, with the object of demonstrating how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants. She knew that some people could find it hard to understand why this happened and what might be done about it, and she thought that if Georgist ideas were put into the concrete form of a game, they might be easier to demonstrate. Magie also hoped that when played by children the game would provoke their natural suspicion of unfairness, and that they might carry this awareness into adulthood. While there is significant meaning behind this game, a similar game was created 20 years later called Monopoly. Charles Darrow created a patent on this game, while also taking all the credit for such an intricate game. There have been many cases of women inventors going unnoticed due to a man later stealing her idea for themselves.

Writing Prompt #10: Amateur Curators

For the last three months I have been walking around campus and collecting pictures of the trash which has been thrown onto the lawns of New Paltz by the students. While attempting to be overly aware of all the trash which has become so easy to overlook, I witnessed trash which was thrown on the ground right next to garbage cans, plastic bags which have been thrown into the beloved gunk, as well as fast food containers being thrown on the asphalt next to college hall. I believe that the students of New Paltz, while trying to exemplify a clean and environmentally friendly lifestyle, do the complete opposite. SUNY New Paltz has a gorgeous campus with amazing sights, this is what i thought when i first stepped onto campus in August. The last three months have proved to me that even though we have one of the best campuses that I have come into contact with, people do not value the natural beauty and would rather leave trash along walkways instead of utilizing the many trash cans we have on campus. I originally wanted to collect the trash physically in order to get a visual representation of just how much trash is being abandoned on campus, but that just wasn’t plausible as I wasn’t going to keep a bag of other people’s trash in my dorm room. Instead of doing this, I took pictures of the trash in order to keep some kind of virtual journal of the trash I came across. I opted towards making a collage of the pictures I have taken rather than taking up most of the space I have with all the separate pictures. The collage I made has limited space so not every picture of trash I have taken could be included but what was included is enough to show that the students of New Paltz have a problem. I’ve noticed that the trash witnessed on campus gets worse after the weekends which i’m assuming is from the parties that the students attend. The rest of the week still brings new trash every day but it’s only a couple pieces compared to the amount that shows up right after the weekend passes. I’m not quite sure what could be done to help as there are already a lot of trash cans and recycling bins around campus which haven’t been working as well as you’d hope to lessen the littering around campus. There could possibly be a campus-wide email which includes actual images in order to bring awareness to the trash which has become normalized on campus. The lack of care around campus doesn’t just stop outdoors, but also inside the dorm buildings. I’ve witnessed many disgusting things in the dorms due to the underlying fact that students of New Paltz, though being young adults, have not learned how to live in communal areas. I have received countless emails from my RD begging the residents of my dorm building to clean up after ourselves which seems to work for a small amount of time but eventually it returns to how it was before. I think choosing to collect pictures of this uprising problem on campus made me understand just how bad the issue has gotten since the beginning of the semester.