The Ministry of Abandoned Atmospheres [Recollection Department]

This voluminous book, entitled Recollection #1, comprises an inventory of abandoned atmospheres. Within its pages lie artefacts excavated from the archaeological site located at 50°50’13.6”N 4°20’44.7”E. ‘The Ministry of Abandoned Atmospheres’ considers items of jewellery and scent as evocative tools that anchor memories, sustain relationships, carry our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and fantasies. Through them, we collect atmospheres. The book documents the entangled collective memory embodied in these objects. It proposes these relics of the soon-to-be-past as transcendent portals, and shows how they may live on within our future imaginary. Where books typically represent singular stories, Recollection #1 subverts that archetype by acknowledging the multiplicity of artefacts. It welcomes loose connections and gentle associations.