I’ve always been fascinated by what possessions people gather and hold dear to their hearts. I love those “what’s in your handbag?” photos, so when I discovered The Burning House site, it got my head spinning. Such a simple idea, such an interesting photographic project and so enjoyable & interesting to view.
The idea is to photograph the things you would take with you, if your house was burning down. As Foster Hunting, the creator says “It’s a conflict between what’s practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.”
I found curating my selection more challenging than I thought it would be, and interestingly my items were mainly sentimental, hoping to preserve all the memories I have collected.
Perhaps you could to take some time today, to consider what you would save and you could share it here or send a submission over to The Burning House.
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I’ve been counting the days and finally the London Street Photography Festival starts today. For those of you near or in London, you should check out all the incredible events organised. I’m so excited the work of Vivian Maier will be here in my city, I’ll let you know next time what I thought about this photography phenomenon, as I’ll be heading there next week.
What an inspiring project!! A fire is everyone's worst nightmare. What to carry with us – provides an incredible..thoughtful challenge.
I would save all photos on my harddrive…
I love how the family is represented. I wondered who would save crocks and then realized there were feet in those shoes.
I do have my purse contents from 2008 when I went into my county courthouse.
The last image on the metal detector scanner stays on the monitor
until the metal detector is used again.
I got some strange looks from the guard,
but he let me take my camera from my purse and
photograph the monitor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57210424@N06/5890697005/in/photostream
As far as the fire question, my husband and I came up with the
list of things to save many years ago.
Most of the items are in a carrying case inside the entry closet door.
Easy and quick access and no thinking necessary.
If I had enough time, I'd grab the photo albums next.
in 2009 there was an out of control fire in the mountains behind our home…336,020 acres burned. i wrote about the few things i packed up in case we were evacuated. it is VERY interesting to find out what is valuable to you…especially when you think you may have to get out of your home fast!!
http://artblogbykat.blogspot.com/2009/08/raging-fires.html
What an amazing project!!
What a fantastic idea, Xanthe! And the Vivian Maier exhibition was a real treat!