About tobekeep

A white greeting card in an open envelope with the word 'Hello' on it, placed on a table next to cutlery and a plate, with shadows of leaves creating a pattern on the tablecloth.

Tobekeep is a writing project about ordinary things and the relationships that gather around them.

Two pieces of paper, one with the words 'See You Soon' in cursive and the other with 'to be' in cursive, against a dark background.

It begins with what can be observed: a bag used more often than expected, a piece of paper that misses the recycling, a body repeatedly adjusting its clothes. Through use, resistance, wear and repetition, ordinary objects begin to show how a life has been arranged around them.

The writing starts with my own objects, habits and encounters. I stay with what happened before deciding what it means: what was used, avoided, returned, adjusted, worn down or left untouched.

A black and white photo showing a row of shot glasses on a table, with some people in the background.
A wooden table and chair in sunlight casting shadows through window bars.
A person's hand holding a large insulated tumbler with an open lid, containing a cold beverage with ice cubes, in an indoor setting.
A person taking a mirror selfie, wearing a light-colored sweater, dark pants, sneakers, and a small bag with a face design. The setting appears to be indoors with a staircase in the background.

Some pieces follow the relationships that form around possessions. Others begin with the body, a designed environment, a consumer encounter or an ordinary scene that resists easy explanation. Look, Not Logo is an earlier, completed archive examining fashion and branding through products, behaviour and use.

The name Tobekeep can suggest what is kept, what is still to be kept, or the state of being held in question.

R.
tobekeep

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