Establishing provenance is essentially a matter of documentation. When was the object made, under what conditions, where is it from, what was it’s purpose, what is it’s value, how did the dealer procure the item, what is it’s unique selling point?
My proposal for the Battersea Art Centre bedrooms was to work with my dad (celebrity antique dealer – Mike Melody) to create a one of a kind, lavish floor of bedrooms for the same price as a poor quality, generic, mass-‐produced set of fitted rooms from Ikea. In addition to choosing objects and interiors from mum and dad’s pre-‐existing collection (including items from my old bedroom) we searched out items that excited us. The objects were selected because of their provenance.
In this consumerist society, antiques have become less fashionable. Dad’s aim is to save these objects from the skip. By placing these objects in an art centre he has elevated them and given them a platform. My aim was to elevate dad as a tribe member of a dying species of antique dealers. The provenance became less about the objects and more about our relationship and then ultimately the provenance of me.
