p/ate
VIS211H1 : works on paper
john h. daniels faculty of architecture, landscape, and design
university of toronto
summer 2022
challenging walter benjamin’s definition of aura, these paper pulp casts of a souvenir plate question the importance of aura in the production of objects
the souvenir plate is a decorative object that holds sentimental value while the paper plate is a mass-produced vessel for food. on their own they have intended uses but lack aura according to benjamin’s definition, but what happens when these objects intersect?
the final p/ates are rendered useless and auraless because of their materiality and production. they also confront institutional norms of producing art with an intention or aims to answer question whereas p/ate does the opposite. p/ate was born through material exploration and raises more questions regarding the value of not only objects, but also art objects.