Ed's Toy Collection

                            

Ed collects all pop culture and media related objects, for example a tweedy bird toy from the Warner Bros. cartoon. An important fact about the collection is it is all from the second half of the twentieth century (1952 – 2000) this being what he described as pretty much within his lifetime. This is a fairly modern collection but you could argue as time goes on the collection will become a form of escapism from modern day life.

(Jean Baudrillard,edited by John Elsner, Roger Cardinal, 1994) ‘the setting up of a collection itself displaces real time’

(Jean Baudrillard, edited by John Elsner, Roger Cardinal, 1994) ‘As Rheims observes, “a phenomenon often associated with the passion of collecting is the loss of all sense of the present”’

To Ed rarity is not important he only truly cares about the aesthetics and the era it comes from. You could argue that he has one relatively rare object within his collection which is the Simpson toy banned in America but this is not seen as rare in the collector’s eyes. Although Ed does seem to have one unique object within his collection being as it is not related to media or pop culture. Although you could argue the object belongs as it becomes the same because of the process of abstraction.

(Jean Baudrillard, edited by John Elsner, Roger Cardinal, 1994) ‘all objects in a collection become equivalent, thanks to the process of passionate abstraction we all call possession’

There is no treasured piece within his collection it is the whole collection together and displayed in one room which makes the collection fascinating. An important part about his collection is how it’s displayed and organized. In a room within his house with the objects organized into sections on shelves so you can see each individual object. His collection seems to have an aura of secrecy about it, being hidden away in a room within his house. Although his collection is on the web no one knows where he lives he still hidden away from the world.

(Jean Baudrillard, edited by John Elsner, Roger Cardinal, 1994) ‘they will maintain an aura of the clandestine, of confinement, secrecy and dissimulation, all of which give rise to the unmistakable impression of a guilty relationship’

 Bibliography

(The Cultures Of Collecting) (Jean Baudrillard) (edited by John Elsner, Roger Cardinal, 1994)