Anneke Jakobs

Just read this article in Dezeen about a recent project by Anneke Jakobs, in which an old, broken chair is sliced up into a few thousand buttons and distributed to people around the world.

What lovely images!

I'm always interested in what people have to say about the concepts of HOME and GLOBALIZATION, and this one is a nice iteration of the desire to share one's private space with strangers. Jakobs' approach seems more earnest and less voyeuristic than other projects which may infiltrate our lives via the internet or TV. But it begs the question: why do we so badly want to connect with strangers, especially those who live so far away? What does it mean to give someone in China or Kenya or Canada a piece of your chair, and what does it mean to them to receive it? Do they get as much out of it as you do? Or is it strange to assume that people want to accept a piece of you into their lives?

I think back to my childhood pen pals - it was a sort of forced interaction piqued with mutual curiosity. Come to think of it, I guess is how any friendship begins. I wonder whether this chair project will bring people into Jakobs' world the way she hopes to be a part of theirs.