The OBJ project was created in order to help people understand the value they give to objects. Through a set of criteria and instructions, my 6 test subjects learned new things about themselves by re-organizing the 6 objects they chose to bring in. Inspired by the minimalist lifestyle and the Marie Kondo Project, this experiment aims to push people’s perception of objects as materials and/or memorabilia. Each of the participants found themselves truly questioning the value of the object itself as well as the memory attached to it, which led them to decisions they weren’t necessarily planning. The entire process was documented through photography.

The project resulted in 3 outcomes, the first is a physical representation of the instructions, designed to recall the IKEA ones. The second is a publication documenting the process with the 6 subjects, which is also interactive as I invite the reader to start by discovering the objects and their reasoning to then guess who the owners might be. The third and final one is a series of prints, which are some of the photographs from the re-organizing process.

Suspiria Box was created for people like myself, who suffer from anxiety and/or stress on a day to day basis but struggle to find by a solution that is made especially for them. I, therefore, took inspiration from various techniques of meditation and therapy, focusing mostly on mindfulness, and created the concept of a multimedia therapy box. In the practice of mindful meditation, one of the techniques is to focus on the sounds surrounding you, identify and locate them. In addition to that, research has shown that if someone was to listen to stressful and triggering sounds daily, the brain, being a muscle, will get used to them and won't classify them as such anymore.

I, therefore, recorded sounds commonly identified as stressful and triggering, as well as some relaxing ones and using their graphic representation, translated them into visuals, which I then printed out. In order to help the users focus on the present and not the negative thoughts, I invite them to listen to the sounds (either through a USB download or on SoundCloud) and match them to the visuals they believe to be appropriate. The box is of an A6 size, which allows the users to carry it in their bags daily, and when necessary, clear their mind and start fresh. The addition of the lavender is to enhance the feeling of relaxation as it's one of the scents most known to be of help.

As a mockup, I also created a website through which people would be able to customize their own box, choosing from different sound options as well as scents, to create their own Suspiria Box.