Objects & Us
Why Things Matter
Will be published approx. on 24. September 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-500-48122-6 (ISBN)
Description
A fresh, expansive, unflinching and informed exploration of objects and what they can tell us about human history.
Every culture in history has imbued certain objects with special value, constructing systems and narratives to support their appreciation. Even our pre-human ancestors left behind evidence of collecting. Objects, then, tell important stories - about humanity, creativity, what we need, and about who we really are or wish to be.
In Objects & Us, renowned curator and cultural historian Gus Casely-Hayford identifies twelve human needs, each chronicled in its own chapter, and pairs them with a variety of objects from the last six centuries, asking why these things and the human drive for creativity are important. Through a surprising and revealing selection of objects, from a carved wooden spoon to a stately silk dress, he identifies significant moments of cultural and creative innovation and expands them into larger stories that tell us why we design, make and collect. His aim is to show how the products of art and design are not simply evidence of human history, but are in fact what make us human in the first place.
Objects & Us takes the reader through the world of both commonplace and exceptional objects from all corners of the globe, showing how they reveal our histories, our needs, our desires and our priorities, as well as the way we live our lives.
Every culture in history has imbued certain objects with special value, constructing systems and narratives to support their appreciation. Even our pre-human ancestors left behind evidence of collecting. Objects, then, tell important stories - about humanity, creativity, what we need, and about who we really are or wish to be.
In Objects & Us, renowned curator and cultural historian Gus Casely-Hayford identifies twelve human needs, each chronicled in its own chapter, and pairs them with a variety of objects from the last six centuries, asking why these things and the human drive for creativity are important. Through a surprising and revealing selection of objects, from a carved wooden spoon to a stately silk dress, he identifies significant moments of cultural and creative innovation and expands them into larger stories that tell us why we design, make and collect. His aim is to show how the products of art and design are not simply evidence of human history, but are in fact what make us human in the first place.
Objects & Us takes the reader through the world of both commonplace and exceptional objects from all corners of the globe, showing how they reveal our histories, our needs, our desires and our priorities, as well as the way we live our lives.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
116 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-500-48122-6 (9780500481226)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Gus Casely-Hayford is the director of V&A East and was formerly the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. He is a curator and cultural historian who lectures widely and has hosted series on the BBC among other broadcast channels.