ON THE DOORWAY (2011) | Nicolas Cheng

ON THE DOORWAY

(2011)

A small domestic hardware that have intrinsic jewellery qualities and more than one affinity with it. If we consider the domestic space as a body, we might start to look at these objects, door handles to be more specific, as appendixes, small organs creating an anticipation of the space that discloses behind the door. Despite being fundamental components in the domestic landscape, they seldom draw attention: they stand on the doorway, ready to open but also seclude, allowing an access or impeding it.

Materials, junctures, mechanisms are thought of as for jewels and, as jewels, the final objects become something to be taken care of: fragile, delicate and colloquial.

The door handles are thought of as a collection of jewellery; each object has its complementary on the other side of the threshold, together reflecting on the dichotomies between private-public, familiar-uncanny, inner-outer, self-other. Materials normally retrievable in a domestic environment (copper, salt, fabric..) are used in combination with more precious ones (silver, ebony, marble) to stress handles’ importance and deep connection to the idea of home.