Sixty two stories, sixty two pendants
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2015
Designer: Yuxi Sun; 孙雨茜
Dimensions:
250 × 250 × 30 mm (25 × 25 × 3 cm)
40 × 60 × 40 mm (4 × 6 × 4 cm)
Medium: Wood, leather, magnets, printed book
Object number: J.2015.823.CC.1-3
Description62 Pendants 62 Stories
The Diary of a Couchsurfing Host
Couchsurfing.com is a hospitality exchange and social networking website. It’s a new travelling experience that was born in 2004. No money is exchanged; it relies on sharing and cultural exchange regardless of regional, national or political boundaries.
I started to host female travellers in 2014 June. For me, the most fascinating part of this project was the sharing and mutual trust. It is incredible how we trust each other easily and quickly even as we shift from online to face-to-face interactions. I questioned myself so many times: Why I am sure she won’t murder me while I am sleeping? Why does she think I am a safe host? Why would I open my door and my fridge to someone I never met before? I have no answer for now but I choose to trust those people who fall into my life.
I offered the same hospitality to every guest and used photos, journals, and charts to record our interactions. I set up ten formulas to structure each jewellery piece. At a glance, the pieces look similar. However, the formulas helped to create completely different pieces to represent the individuals and the unique experience we had together.
1. Each piece is divided into two halves: the Guest and the Host.
2. The length of the Guest half was determined by their age.
3. The components of the Guest half were determined by the duration of their stay.
4. The ratio of each component represents the length of time we spent together.
5. The height of the piece represents how I felt about my guests.
6. The colour of the wood for the Guest halves are based on the season in which they stayed with me.
7. The durability of the wood for the Guest halves were chosen based on my overall impression of the guest.
8. The number engraved on the Guest half represents the distance from their hometown to London.
9. The wood for my half must always be purpleheart wood.
10. My part is always perpendicular to the guests’ parts.
The pieces I made bear the marks and the traces of each single connection, and spread the idea of sharing and trust. I firmly believe that each encounter based on trust is a positive social interaction.
The Diary of a Couchsurfing Host
Couchsurfing.com is a hospitality exchange and social networking website. It’s a new travelling experience that was born in 2004. No money is exchanged; it relies on sharing and cultural exchange regardless of regional, national or political boundaries.
I started to host female travellers in 2014 June. For me, the most fascinating part of this project was the sharing and mutual trust. It is incredible how we trust each other easily and quickly even as we shift from online to face-to-face interactions. I questioned myself so many times: Why I am sure she won’t murder me while I am sleeping? Why does she think I am a safe host? Why would I open my door and my fridge to someone I never met before? I have no answer for now but I choose to trust those people who fall into my life.
I offered the same hospitality to every guest and used photos, journals, and charts to record our interactions. I set up ten formulas to structure each jewellery piece. At a glance, the pieces look similar. However, the formulas helped to create completely different pieces to represent the individuals and the unique experience we had together.
1. Each piece is divided into two halves: the Guest and the Host.
2. The length of the Guest half was determined by their age.
3. The components of the Guest half were determined by the duration of their stay.
4. The ratio of each component represents the length of time we spent together.
5. The height of the piece represents how I felt about my guests.
6. The colour of the wood for the Guest halves are based on the season in which they stayed with me.
7. The durability of the wood for the Guest halves were chosen based on my overall impression of the guest.
8. The number engraved on the Guest half represents the distance from their hometown to London.
9. The wood for my half must always be purpleheart wood.
10. My part is always perpendicular to the guests’ parts.
The pieces I made bear the marks and the traces of each single connection, and spread the idea of sharing and trust. I firmly believe that each encounter based on trust is a positive social interaction.
