Everyday Margins
Justin Cheung
We spend so much time dwelling in the new and the exciting. What happens, then, to things that are no longer stimulating? The mundane? I wanted to give myself a challenge to address something meaningful, yet neglected in my thesis project. So, I looked at a range of boring subjects like gestures and conversations, and eventually settled with receipts. From little pieces of information like, times, locations, prices, tip to patterns and structures, I realized each receipt could potentially be very telling of a person—not just her habits, but also a glimpse of her personality. Hence begun my journey of collecting a week-worth of receipts from any willing friends. By scrutinizing the collections of receipts, I puzzled out a consumption portrait of each of my friends. As much as they were willing to expose their private habits, I was just as willing to write out my private critical thoughts about their consumption, some positive, mostly negative. Eventually, I asked the owners of the portraits to hold it up to the public as they read my remarks on the back, creating an experience for the nosy to examine; the self- conscious to model; the cynics to critique, and the curious to explore.