After researching Michael Landy’s Breakdown, primarily for my dissertation, I have become interested in unpicking everyday objects. I found the processes Landy used to order, catalogue, destroy and document all of his possessions intriguing. I especially was interested in how he kept items of most personal sentimental significance on the conveyor belt the longest- not wanting to part with his father’s sheepskin coat until all of Landy’s other possessions were dismantled and destroyed.
I am interested in the way objects have a history, and act as a witness to the past. I was given this old telephone by another art student, with the intentions of it being dismantled and destroyed. Whilst I methodically peeled back the layers and component parts of the telephone I couldn’t help but wonder how many conversations it had enabled, all the words and secrets which were carried through its’ circuit boards and speakers. A part of me also felt deflated- once the phone was separated into the components, the magic of how it all works was lost. In a way it was a reflection on the way in which technology has influenced our everyday lives, the telephone itself no-longer became the most important part, but the relationships, stories and human communication it kept alive was. Had I instead decided to dismantle a brand new, unused phone, I don’t think I would be as intrigued by it.
