Gregory Souter-Graves - BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft

Objects of Interaction

This collection of objects and photographs explores the relationship between object and body, focusing on interaction and activation. Drawing on the Jewellery theory of Maker – Wearer – Viewer as inspiration, I investigate how parts of my body interact with the objects and use photography to capture these moments.

As the Maker, I construct objects which are designed specifically for interaction. The objects offer sites of contact that isolate, emphasise, and fix particular body parts in place. The objects are inert without the body. They require the body’s presence to be activated. The body, in turn, must adapt to the contours and limitations of these objects. This shared relationship is central to the theme of interaction and activation, the moment when object and body meet and transform one another.

Through performative photoshoots, I engage directly with my objects, stepping into the role of the Wearer. The photographic moment is not merely a method of documentation but is a site of reflection, where the interaction and activation are both experienced and then observed. These photographs capture the shared moment of activation where object and body meet.

I curate the photographs within installations, creating new imagery, to further explore the relationship between object and body. This visual medium allows me, as both maker and wearer, to also become the Viewer, closing the Jewellery theory loop.