Liang-Jung Chen, a London-based artist, has initiated a project named The Hardware Archive. An homage to everyday objects, Chen’s work revolves around pieces essential to our lives that often go unnoticed. The collection houses various items, from bolts and nuts to pins and screws, celebrating their aesthetic value in addition to their roles as functional objects.
The Hardware Archive also operates as an educational resource for those interested in design, function, and daily life. Items such as clothespins and unusual types of nuts and bolts are among the pieces highlighted and appreciated for their inherent genius in design. Chen’s project invites us to appreciate the beauty in everyday objects and acknowledges their potential to tell stories and emit unexplored beauty.
Building on his previous initiative, The Misused, which repurposed hardware items as domestic objects, The Hardware Archive emphasizes reused items and preserves and documents the original use and history of hardware products. This distinctive approach invites attention to the ingenious designs of commonplace items. Chen’s work pushes the boundaries of art and design, injecting creativity into everyday objects.
Chen’s interest in common objects has been driven by the diverse ways such items are utilized within society. This has sparked intensive research into their historical and cultural impact.
Unveiling everyday object designs: Liang-Jung Chen’s initiative
Chen’s endeavor to understand these objects evolved into a passion that uncovered hidden meanings and unknown stories within everyday objects, transforming the ordinary into an art form.
The Hardware Archive has evolved into an influential and award-winning venture. Continuing his work, Chen incorporated more than everyday items to his collection, exploring their anthropological and ethnographical histories and their intersection with human culture and progress. The archive has progressively gained respect in both academic and public sectors.
The Hardware Archive features diverse items, whether they are from a typical local store or specialized machinery. The collection shines light upon the extraordinary characteristics of ordinary objects. Each item in the collection tells its unique story and contributes to the narrative of technological development. It illustrates how these everyday objects shape our world and behavior.
Chen’s Hardware Archive is analogous to an archaeological museum. Through exploring these objects, we are prompted to examine the complexities of the seemingly simple and discover the wonder in the mundane. The Hardware Archive echos past human ingenuity and invites us to reflect upon our consumption habits critically and recognize the potential implications of our daily choices.
