supritha sundaram -...

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Objects of Desire

Supritha Sundaram

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Objects of Desire

Five random objects, from five different stores. Their only common denomination is my im-mediate appeal to them. What more do they have in common?

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University of California, Los Angeles

Author Supritha Sundaram

Objects of Desire

Dec 9, 2009

Design, Media and Technology

Desma 154A

Professor: William Henri Lucas

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Table of Contents

3. Map of Locations

4. Objects of Desire

5. Ganesha Idol

6. Oil Lamp

7. Hair Ornament

8. Sewing Button

9. Ring

10. Still Life

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Marker Near Los angeLes

S. Alexandria Ave., Los Angeles“Trinkets”Ring

Wilshire Blvd.., Los Angeles“Marie’s”Hair Ornament

Marker Near Lakewood

Pioneer Blvd., Artesia.“Ambala Cash & Carry”Ganesha Idol &Oil Lamp

Marker Near san Bernardino

Baseline Rd., Fontana.“Gonzales Thrift Store”Sewing Button

APanaromicView

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Objects of DesireWhy do certain objects appeal to certain people?

Design and photography involves defining the structure and beauty of an article that doesn’t immediately lend itself to beauty. Though I initially set out to find five different objects that did not appeal to the eye by itself, by the end of the buying spree, I realized my eyes were automatically drawn to items that were intrinsically beauti-ful. I have always loved shiny and pretty objects, as anyone familiar with me can attest to. Unconsciously, my list of five items ended up with similar characteristics, such as aesthetic beauty and symmetrical angles.

The five items I ended up buying were a Ganesha Idol, a Hair Ornament, a Sewing Button, a Ring, and an Oil Lamp. On the outset, these items have nothing to do with each other. That is, based on their names and function, they cannot be related. But, visually, their decor is similar and they seem to have more in common than they actually do. The items viewed in the picture side by side seem to belong in the same group and have similar uses, which is for decorational purposes. In truth, their actual functions differ extremely and they have little in common.

Ganesha Idol Oil Lamp RingHair Ornament Sewing Button

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SimilaritiesInObjects

Before the introduction of the objects and what their

significance is, I would like to look at their respec-

tive sizes and elaborate on what I meant when I

described their visual similarities in contrast to their

relative differences. Each object on this page has

been scaled to the same size to better represent their

similarities in shape and form.

First and foremost, there is a spherical pattern com-

mon to the designs. The first image of the God has

an irregular shape. But, the outline is very spherical

in nature. The God himself is known for his rotund-

ness (but more on that later).

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Ganesha Idol

“The one who moves towards knowledge of the timeless is never afraid.” -- Book of Ganesha

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Front View Back View

Left ViewRight View

Imagery inDimensions

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Artesia “Little India”

Pioneer Blvd.., Artesia. An Indian store that sells every-

thing Indian, where I bought the idol of God Ganesh.

Being an Indian, I have visited this place many times, and I knew as soon as we got this assignment that I would have to buy at least one item in Artesia. The shop had an amazing and diverse collection. As soon as I entered the store, there was a huge display of Ganesha Idols. He has always been my favorite God, because of his play-ful antics, and I selected the above idol as that was the one that attracted me the most and it belonged in my price range.

The third and final location happened to be in Artesia, on my way back to the UCLA campus. Artesia is locally known among Indians as “Little India”, and therefore has tremendous cultural value.

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WhatIsIt?

My Ganesha Idol has the pose that is the most common pose for Lord Ganesha to take in an idol or art. His legs meet at the end, and his right leg slightly branch-es downwards. This is a matter of grace. His right palm faces the audience, a symbol of blessing the person who beholds him. His left hand holds a bowl of food, sym-bolizing his love for food. There are also representations of a lotus and a weapon in the background symbolizing his prowess in war, and the fact that he is the first God to be prayed to. The idol, like most idols, is made out of mud and clay, and covered in gold colored covering.

What is it?

Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time.

How is He portrayed?

He may be portrayed standing, dancing, hero-ically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.

His general characteristics

Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. In most cases, He typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a noose in the other upper arm.

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PartOfYou

The gesture I’m making here is touching the feet of Lord Ganesha. One of the basics of the Hindu religion is to touch someone’s feet to show your respect for them and in turn, receive their blessings. When this gesture is directed towards a God, it is more pious than ever. I’m touching the Lord’s feet as the ultimate symbol of my love, respect and fear towards him. But, most importantly, I’m attaining his blessings. This act is completed by my taking of my hand, bringing it to my eyes, and touching my eyes. Hindus believe eyes are the gateway to the soul, so the blessings will pass through your eyes to your soul.

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The story behind Ganesha’s elephant head: His mother, Goddess Parvati, had given birth to him while his father, Lord Shiva, was away for a long journey. When Lord Shiva returned, not know-ing it was his son, he beheaded little Ga-nesha for being impertinent with him. When Parvati found out and revealed the truth, Lord Shiva sent out an army of men to find the first being that was lying with its head to the North. This happened to be the elephant, and hence the elephant head.

Left:: Depiction of Dancing Ganesha. This pose is given to him sometimes to symbolize his father, the God of dance.

Middle: An ancient Ganesha statue in North India that dates back to 5th century CE.

History of Ganesha

Ganesha emerged a distinct de-ity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the period known as the Gupta Period. His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu de-nomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ga-napatya, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose dur-ing this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mud-gala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

Depiction in Temples

In Hindu temples, Ganesha is de-picted in various ways: as a subor-dinate deity; as a deity related to the principal deity; or as the prin-cipal deity of the temple, treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parva-ti’s (his mother) doorkeeper. Dev-otees always offer their prayers to Ganesha first before moving on to any other God. His own festi-val also comes at the very begin-ning of the Hindu calendar.

Ganesha is frequently depicted in various forms to make him compatible to many devotees

Top: A Leaf Ganesha. The leaf used in banana leaves, mos com-monly used in India

Middle: A Warrior Ganesha. He looks angry and carries weapons

Bottom: Ganesha portrayed as Krishna, another Hindu God

ThroughTheAges

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Oil Lamp

“To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.” -- Mother Teresa

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Diagonal ViewRight View

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Artesia “Little India”

Pioneer Blvd.., Artesia. An Indian store that sells

everything Indian, where I bought the oil lamp used for

Being from India, I have visited this place many times, and I knew as soon as we got this assignment that I would have to buy at least one item in Artesia. The shop had an amazing and diverse collec-tion. After buying the Ganesha Idol, I could not resist buying another as my eyes fell on the oil lamp. Oil lamps are generally associated with Diwali, the Hindu equivalent of Christmas. The second main attraction of Diwali (after fireworks) is the lighting of lamps. There-fore, I made the purchase of the oil lamp.

The third and final location happened to be in Artesia, on my way back to the UCLA campus. Artesia is locally known among Indians as “Little India”, and therefore has tremendous cultural value.

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WhatIsIt?

My oil lamp seen here is made out of a type of clay known as the red clay. It is a typical decorational oil lamp, going by the designs that adorn the edges and front of the lamp. The way it works is, you pour oil into the basin in the middle. Since it is an Indian oil lamp, the traditional way to light it is to add something known as a vathi into the oil . The vathi is immersed in oil, and a tip is laid outside at the corner of the lamp. That tip is now lighted with a match, leaving a flame simmer at on end. Most oil lamps are cir-cular, and this is the first lamp I’ve seen that is square.

What is it?

An oil lamp is a vessel used to produce light continuously for a period of time from an oil-based fuel source.

How is it used?

The lamp is filled with oil and a wick is added to the oil. This wick is drenched in oil and is then lit. The wick continues to burn until the oil is all spent.

Materials made out of

MetalClayHornShellsLeaves

LimestoneAluminum

Glass

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PartOfYou

The oil lamp held in my hand. I initially wanted it to be lit, but once lit, I couldn’t get a close-up picture because the flame was blotting out the whole picture because of the flash. So, I held it the traditional way lamps are supposed to be held. There is a special lamp festival for women in India, where women bring lamps held in their hands like this and release them into the water. They are supposed to be guiding lights for spirits to come visit their loved ones.

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ThroughTheAges

Later, older day shapes were replaced by more practical ones with covers, the form of a flat box , and with a spout on the rim. These covers protected oil from contamination. Afterwards, handles were added, as well as one or more protruding spouts and holes for ventilation.

Early lighting fuels consisted of olive oil, beeswax, fish oil, whale oil, sesame oil, nut oil, and similar substances. These were the most commonly used fuels until the late 18th century. How-ever, the ancient Chinese collected natural gas in skins that was used for illumination.

Left: The so-called rocklite lamps. They are hard to burn and find.

Middle: A simple glass oil lamp. Glass was a popular substance to make lamps, after clay

First Lamps

The first lamp was invented around 70,000 BC. A hollow rock or other natural found object was filled with moss or a similar mate-rial that was soaked with animal fat and ignited. Humans began imitating the natural shapes with manmade pottery, alabaster, and metal lamps. Wicks were later added to control the rate of burn-ing. Around the 7th century BC, the Greeks began making terra cotta lamps to replace handheld torches. The word lamp is de-rived from the Greek word lam-pas, meaning torch.

Around the World

Lamps were made with an oil container and one or more wick spouts. The use of oil lamps is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey and their use is also confirmed in Crete at the age of Mycenaean civilization (remnants were found in ancient palaces of Cnosso and Haghia Triada in Crete). Later, oil lamps were used by Phoeni-cians and Greeks who handed down their use to the Romans around the 4th century b.C. The more ancient did not have cov-ers, and had a small flat case and a wick spout on the rim.

Top Left, Right, Middle: Early man-man lamps shaped in different shapes with a hole and a handle

Right: Kerosene lamps that greadly reduced the use of oil lamps

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Hair Ornament

“The hair is the richest ornament of women” -- Martin Luther King Jr.

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Left ViewRight View

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LosAngelesDowntown

Wilshire Blvd.., Near downtown. Run by an old couple

who sell odds and ends. Bought the hair piece here.

When I revisited the place, the memories of the decor pieces that would adorn my dance outfit came to my mind immedi-ately. Subconsciously in my mind, I be-lieve that is what influenced me to buy the hair ornament that I bought here.

It was very pretty and reminded me of my dancing days. It also reminded me of the extra long fake hair I used to sport when I danced in special events.

In the map, there are two locations marked in red near where the map locates “Los Angeles”. These are a few miles to the west of downtown Los Angeles. I was drawn to this particular place because I used to take dance lessons nearby, and I’ve visited those stores numerous times to buy inessential decor items that would become part of a dance ensemble.

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WhatIsIt?

My hair ornament seen here has similar physiology. The conventional main body of the or-nament includes a round disk that consists of thin metal frame that actually fastens to the hair (shown in the right picture). The pretty ornamentation seen in the left picture is the add-on that is glued to the main frame. This hair ornament is made of glass and plastic for the front, and aluminum for the back. It is slightly heavier than most hair ornaments, but it fastens on to the hair fairly well, and sits without being uncomfortable.

What is it?

In fashion, a hair ornament is a object that comes in many shapes and sizes, usually at-tached to an article of clothing in order worn on the hair by women.

How is it used?

These are generally either woven or clipped into the hair. The clip or clasp is seperated from the conventional ornamental part of the hair ornament.


PlasticMetalWoodHorn

SeashellsCelluloidBakelite

AluminumPaperGlass

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PartOfYou

The hair ornament woven into my hair. The ornament does not have a simple clip or clasp. So, it has to be woven into the hair. Though this was initially tiresome, the end result made it worth it. This is by far the most gorgeous hair ornament I’ve worn, and I’ve worn many.

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Modern day hair ornaments are a far cry from the early hair or-naments that eventually evolved into what are currently known as snoods. In the couture world, hair jewels or hair ornaments are presently referred to as hair acces-sories. What you call them really doesn’t matter. One thing is cer-tain, though, that is hair accessory fashions have become much more sophisticated in present day.

Left: An ancient hair ornament from China. This is like a comb

Middle: A modern day hair ornament that is only used for ornamentation, not to hold the hair up

Hair Ornaments

Hair jewelry or ornaments have been around since the very be-ginning of time when the cave-men used bits of bone and teeth to fashion decorations for their necks, hands, ears and hair. Ac-cording to the experts, hair orna-ments are any of various types of ornaments that are worn in the hair by either men or women. Hair ornaments consist of hair pins, combs, disks and slides. However, throughout history, hair ornaments also loosely in-cluded hair rings, hair spirals and hair nets.

Spreading Around World

Some experts believe that hair ornaments were actually copied from the early day wreaths that were from in the early Greek pe-riod dating from 475 BC to 330 BC. The Greeks and Romans wore wreaths as ornamental bands in the form of naturalis-tic or stylized leaves worn on the head for very festive occasions or by victors at ancient games of sport. As history progressed the Etruscans and the Romans upgraded their wreaths with pre-cious metals such as gold, silver and gold-plated metals.

Top Left: A modern day hair ornament with a hair clip

Top Middle: A modern day hair ornament with a disk type clasp

Top Right: A modern day hair ornament with a hair pin

ThroughTheAges

Right: An ancient hair orna-ment that has ‘slides’.

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Sewing Button

“Sewing mends the soul” -- Author Unknown

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Left ViewRight View

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Baseline Rd., Fontana, San Bernardino County. A His-

panic thrift store where I bought the sewing button.

I chose a small Hispanic thrift store hoping to find something of cultural value. As I walked through the store, not many things excited me. They were usually of the dreadfully useful everyday kind of item, and they were generally not something that was the size of my fist.

As I was about to leave, my eyes fell on the sewing button, but I of course did not know what it was at that time. I bought the sewing button, and only later found out what it was by noticing the sewing holes.

My permanent home is in San Bernardino County. I visited my parents there over the weekend, and the countless thrift shops around the area seemed like a great place to buy an object of desire. My parents had recent-ly moved there, so I was a bit new to the area.

SanBernardinoCounty

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The button seen here has similar button holes that work by having a thread through them that’s sewn through the fabric. I’m curious as to what kind of fabric would incorporate such a large object as an ornament seamlessly. Researching the web, but I have found so far that most sewing objects are a little smaller.

This button is made of what seems like fake pearl or ivory beads. It also incorporates few fake golden beads that are plastic in the front. There is a small aluminum sheet on the back for the sewing holes.

Below, an example of heavy sewing buttons on cloth.

What is it?

In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small disc, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or in this case, ornamenta-tion.

How is it used?

Functional buttons work by slipping the but-ton through a fabric or thread loop, or by slid-ing the button through a reinforced slit called a buttonhole.


AntlerBoneHornIvoryShell

Vegetable ivoryWood

CelluloidMetal

BakelitePlastic.

WhatIsIt?

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The sewing piece stands on my lapel. Secret: It’s not actually sewn in because I don’t know how to sew. It’s held there by a pin, and that is how it would look if sewn in anyway.

PartOfYou

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ThroughTheAges

The Greeks and Romans, used them for decoration. By the year 1200, the button and buttonhole arrived in Eu-rope. Functional buttons with button-holes for fastening or closing clothing appeared first in Germany in the 13th century. They soon became wide-spread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe. The word button appeared at around this time and stems from either the French bouton for bud or bouter to push.n Generally, people of status wore beautiful buttons as trim. There have been buttons found which tell a story of travels, each button hav-ing been hand wrought by an artist.

Left:: An ancient sewing button. The first buttons from the Bronze Age were not used for fastening clothes, but rather for ornamentation

Middle: Two sewing buttons sewn into a dress. Like today, sewing buttons were used for ornamenta-tion as well as function throughout history.

First Sewing Buttons

Sewing buttons of some sort originated in Egypt at least 4,000 years ago. Over 3,000 years ago, during the Bronze Age, the first buttons as we know them today made their debut. While they were recognizably buttons, the Bronze Age men didn’t fasten anything with them, but simply wore them for decoration.Chinese Mandarins used but-tons to identify their castes and status around 2,000. The earliest documentation of buttons were ornamental, found in a grave of a Bulgarian princess about 600 BC

Spreading Around World

Buttons used as ornaments rath-er than fasteners have been dis-covered in the Indus Valley Civi-lization during its Kot Diji phase (circa 2800-2600 BC) as well as Bronze Age sites in China (circa 2000-1500 BCE), and Ancient Rome. Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civiliza-tion for ornamental purposes by 2000 BCE. Some buttons were cut in geometric shapes and had holes pierced into them, so they could be attached to clothing by using a thread.

Top Left: Sewing buttons were used to depict stories and tell tales of travels. The button above is divided into four pieces, each telling a different story.

Top Middle: A sewing button made out of seashells, similar to the ones made in the Indus Valley Civilization.

Top Right: Sewing buttons were also used to depict symbols or coat of arms that stood for a certain caste, group or monarchy.

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Ring

“One Ring to rule them all,One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” -- J.R.R Tolkein

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Left ViewRight View

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LosAngelesDowntown

S. Alexandria Ave, Near downtown. A really small store

filled with cheap jewelry where I bought the ring.

I’ve visited those stores numerous times to buy inessential decor items that would become part of a dance ensemble.

I have huge passion for rings. There are very few people who have seen me without some ring. People try to dis-suade me from the practice because oth-ers have thought I was engaged. But, I simply cannot go without wearing a ring. Buying this ring was an obvious choice as it was definitely something I desired and could never have too few.

In the map, there are two locations marked in red near where the map locates “Los Angeles”. These are a few miles to the west of downtown Los Angeles. I was drawn to this particular place because this is where I used to take dance lessons.

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WhatIsIt?

My ring seen here has no special value in a relationship. It probably would not be used as a wed-ding, engagement or promise ring. It only has pure fun value, and would probably worn by a young girl or young woman (such as myself) for fun. The band is cir-cular and very shiny. The interior is either aluminum or a similar cheap metal. It is covered in gold colored covering. The decorational part in the front has two semicircles - one smooth and one jagged. In the middle of both circles, there is a ruby-colored stone inset. The ring is a standard size seven and a half. When I bought it, it seemed like it was meant to be as it fit me perfectly.

What is it?

A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring.

How is it used?

Rings are worn by both men and women and can be of any quality. The most common use of rings today is to symbolize a relationship, as in engagement rings, wedding rings and promise rings..


GoldSilverGlassBone

StonesGemstone

PlasticWoodMetal

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The ring adorning a finger on my hand. Apart from the ring, there are no other adornments on my hand, not even nail polish. It seems to stand out on my flesh, and yet blend in at the same time.

PartOfYou

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ThroughTheAges

Betrothal rings were meant to symbolize a woman’s relation to the man who would become her husband, though the arrangement was more of a business plan than a romantic union. The Greeks are credited with the initial idea to wear the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand, where the “vena amoris” or vein of love was supposed to connect to the heart. During the 9th century, Pope Nicolas I endorsed the idea of engage-ment rings by making a gold ring a betrothal require-ment to demonstrate the groom’s wealth and ability to care for a wife.

The oldest recorded exchange of wedding rings comes from ancient Egypt, about 4800 years ago. In early Egypt, the ring was linked with the supernatural, a never-ending band linked with eternal love. For the Ro-mans later, the ring’s acceptance by a young lady was a binding, legal agreement and the girl was no longer free. Today the wedding ring is part of a religious ceremony of marriage in mostly western cultures. It is mostly worn on the left hand finger, though some cultures encour-age using the right hand.

EngagEmEnt Ring

WEdding Ring

PRomisE Ring

Promise rings have many different uses. It is most commonly associated with a man gifting a woman a ring as a promise of marriage in the near future. Other uses can be for best friends, chastity and the promise of monogamy in a relationship. Though they weren’t always called promise rings, rings have been used to seal promises since the beginning of time. It became popular during the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe to exchange rings as a token of love or friendship. A common type of ring was called a “poesy ring.” These rings were engraved bands with various promises or sentiments and given to a

Top: An antique tradition-al tribal wedding rings.

Bottom: A cheap orna-mental ring

Bottom Left: Expensive family heirloom rings.

Rings come in many different forms and have multiple meanings. Some examples: Wedding rings, Betrothal rings, friendship rings, chas-

tity rings and promise rings.

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Still Life

“Every artist undresses his subject, whether human or still life. It is his business to find essences in surfaces, and what more attractive and challenging surface than the skin around a soul?”-- Richard Corliss

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Expression

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Progression

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Celebration

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Impression

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Appreciation

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Comparison

“Comparison isn’t so much comparing as equating”-- Unknown

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2.5”

4.2”

3.1”

1.4”

1.0”

RelativeInSize

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RelativeInShape

Ganesh Idol

Ring

Sewing Decor

Hair Ornament

Oil Lamp

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Supritha Sundaram

supritha sundaram -...

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