‘Artifacts of Place’ by Christian Maidankine explores the relationship between humans, their objects, and the spaces they inhabit. Our everyday condition is made up of a network of places that encompass all of our habits, routines, and rituals. We are at the centre of these activities, but we often use artifacts to help signify or carry them out.

Whether we are in our personal space or out of home, we arrange our artifacts in a particular way to help identify spaces for us to occupy. We may have a favourite corner to read or have the best spot to do our makeup. We have created a particular space in which we can comfortably perform and live.

We rarely leave our homes without a bag, and we hold many items within them. We carry essentials for work and living, things we think we will need on our daily journey. At some point, we may identify a space we like. We stop and begin to inhabit it by creating our preferred arrangement. In a cafe, we may pull out a sketchbook and pencil case and compose them carefully on the table with our coffee. Through this process, we have identified ‘our space,’ even if it’s only for twenty minutes. We constantly do this as we move around our environment — some randomly, while others we may return to every day. This installation explores how objects can strengthen our connection to place, whether at home or when we are on the move.