From the second half of the twentieth century onwards, the role and meanings of domestic objects became a subject of study in the social sciences. With the rise of consumer society, objects were no longer purchased solely for their utilitarian functions. Within the middle classes, they increasingly served as symbolic markers through which individuals and groups could distinguish themselves from one another. This observation forms the starting point of La Distinction, a work by Pierre Bourdieu which—based on interviews—demonstrates how clothing choices, musical and literary tastes, or even the criteria guiding the purchase of a sofa or a coffee maker are key elements in understanding individuals’ social positions. From this sociological perspective, tastes and consumer choices are never neutral; rather, they express desires for belonging and distinction.
In her photographic investigation, Aurore Mesot draws on methods and reflections rooted in sociological analysis. However, her aim is not to expose or critique specific behaviors within the capitalist economy. Instead, she seeks to show how a completely ordinary object can become “a silent witness to our joys, our sorrows, and our memories.” Objects act as receptacles that reveal how complexity and poetry reside within the banal. Through a series of interviews with five older women, the artist invites us to travel back in time through the arrangements of their domestic environments. Memories accumulate on shelves, each bearing the imprint of passing time.
As in In Search of Lost Time, Aurore Mesot invites us to interpret the associations that emerge from our everyday use of objects. These objects are imbued with countless singular stories, yet—like the madeleine—some occupy a special place within the vast museum of memory. A Neuchâtel clock, lace, a shirt, a lighter, or a VHS cassette: a collection of images presents these objects accompanied by precise captions. Within this body of work, they become fragments through which one can navigate the mysteries of intimacy. They stand as witnesses to a humanity in which the turbulent currents of joy and suffering have gradually subsided.
— Joël Vacheron
Link to the article and publication : here
Photographies : Stéphanie Gygax