Things Organized Neatly

Our class discussion about Collier's insistence on photography as a tool for data collection reminded me of this blog. Users submit images of "things organized neatly". The photos range from tools to plants to monochromatic items to ingredients and parts of things. The images are aesthetically striking in their geometry and order, but also in their ability to say something about the owner of the items. Collier would suggest that this is exactly the kind of data that an ethnographer would need to understand a person/group (the contents of a person's handbag could suggest something about what they consider important when traveling). Pink would argue that this is not the only method of research; that the context and particular circumstances in which the items in the images are embedded and take part is necessary information for understanding the true value of the items to the owner.

Todd Mclellan via Things Organized Neatly.