Broken music stand
A broken music stand, recently bought from a charity shop (Kidney Research on Sidwell St.) I only realised it was broken as I bought it, but reasoned that I could fix it easily.
Where and how is it used?
I will be used to practise on my violin, which I gave up when I was 14
What did you or someone else pay for it?
I paid £1.99 and put the penny in the charity tin.
Why do you want to add it to the museum?
because it is symbolic of my aspirations, my inability to do anything properly and junk hoarding habits. It is unlikely to get used, I also think I have a perfectly good one in my attic.
How was it made?
Is made in a factory
Is farmed
Is mass-produced
Is produced by local cottage industry
Is made to particular specifications
Is craft / hand-made
Is foraged
Is found
Is colonised
Is a service
Materials & Making
Who made or produced your commodity?
not sure.
Who was paid to make it?
No idea
What skills does it take to make it?
Metal plate and riveting skills.
Where was it made?
Taiwan
What does it cost to make it?
not sure, but probably more than I paid for it.
What is it made from?
-
1. Steel:
steel sheet, tube and wingnuts and bolts. Some plastic
Buying & Owning
Who decides how much it costs?
Factory owner? the market?
Who or what assesses its quality?
Factory foreman, the consumer
Where is it sold?
in music shops, or charity shops
Who or what sells it?
see above
How did this thing arrive from where it was made to where you got it?
Donated to a charity shop
Where is it used?
Used by small children and optimistic adults like me, on a self improvement tip
Where is it kept?
On top of my piano
How and by whom is it cared for?
by me, I hope
How long will it last?
Longer than me.
Where will it go when it's finished with?
Recycled into a car or engine part probably.
What is it worth?
a couple of quid.
How do you and others value this commodity?
See the values contributed by visitors and those of the donor. And add your own values to this commodity.
Total times valued | 1 |
Positive (↑) | Sustainability |
Negative (↓) | - |
Overall Positive | 26 |
Overall Negative | 0 |
Controversy | 13 (0 = most controversial) |
What do these numbers mean?
This data that we have collected over time in our database means nothing without interpretation. A relational database, which we are using here, is technology that enables designers of websites and software to compare, contrast, interrogate and infer relations within data. The act of designing a database is not objective but driven by the agency of its creators and owners.
Within the MoCC Collection data is used to help think through the relations between values, commodities and data. Can we describe our values using sliders and numbers? How do we infer meaning such as controversy from data?
Below is a brief explanation of the some calculations and how these help make decisions about what is shown on the site.
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Controversy Score:
(Total Positive Values) + (Total Negative Values)
The closer the value is to zero the more controversial it is in relation to other commodities. Used to infer that values associated with one commodity divide opinion more than another.
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Average Value Score (used in the sliders):
(Total Positive for Value + Total Negative for Value) ÷ Total Times Valued
Used to infer a collective value associated with a commodity.
How do you value this commodity?
To add your own values click VALUE THIS COMMODITY and move the sliders left and right to add your own values - then click SUBMITQuestions and answers
Help to reveal unknown quantities, properties and uses of this commodity by answering this MoCC curator's questions.
Question: Are you trying to learn a musical intstrument?
Answers:
i have been trying to learn the guitar for years. i have never had any lessons but have taught myself enough chords to busk my way around songs that i like. i keep promising myself i will have some actual lessons but i never do. do i need actual lessons i wonder?
Hi there!
My name is Jenny and I am a Commodity Consultant for MOCC.
I have always loved music - listening, learning, performing, and even writing it!
My first instrument is my voice; I am a classicaly trained Soprano and currently hold two Grade 8 qualifications, won many competitions, have perfomed internationally and written my own music and arrangements, used all around the country.
I taught myself how to play piano, ukulele and guitar, along with learning to be a vocal percussionist from friends and the internet. If you are looking to learn a musical instrument, but do not have the time to schedule lessons or do not really want to spend a lot of time and money rigidly learning something and just want to play for fun, you can find a lot of information on google, including shords, techniques, and even tutorials on YouTube for your favourite songs - that is how I got started on teaching myself.
There is a lot to be said for music and the way we use it to communicate our feelings about our commodities and what they mean to us;
'With nothing but your T-Shirt on' 'Thinking about the T-Shirt you sleep in' 'I found your hairband on my bedroom floor' - just to name a few lyrics which pop into my head from various popular songs. Music is such a great way to communicate the lives within our things ad to get people thinking beyond the face-value of their favourite items.
I did a project on this for followthethings.com, so check-out http://www.followthethings.com/pacemaker.shtml where I talk about the singing pacemaker.
I hope you have found this insightful,
Kind regards,
Jenny
Question: Did your parents tell you you would regret giving up the violin, yet you ignored them?
Answers:
Hi there!
My name is Jenny and I am a Commodity Consultant for MOCC.
Personally, I never played the violin, but my mum did.
She started playing and writing her own music at age 6, but when she was 14, she was sent away to care for her grandmother, and her father made her give-up the violin to undertake household duties for her elderly relative.
Her mother before her, Milly - I think her name was, died when my mum was 4. At age 11, Milly was offered a place and a scholarship at Oxford University to study music due to her impecable talents on the piano. They said she could play better than Russ Conway! But her parents would not let her go.
In the history of my family, it was often the parents who prevented their children's dreams of persuing their music talents due to household duties which were deemed more important at the time.
I think it is from this vein that my mother and father always wanted my brother and I to do anything we wanted. My brother is now a successful composer and opera singer, and I myself have sung all the way around the world, won competitions and held 2 Grade 8 qualifications and just aged 18. I also play guitar, ukulele, piano, recorder, tin whistle, drums, saxophone and I am a vocal percussionist, and this all came from the freedom from being able to do anything I wanted in terms of music. However, money was tight so I had to teach myself.
In terms of giving up and regrets, I gave up ballet because I hated it, and I wished I had carried on now - I may have become a little fitter if I had stuck with it!
I hope you have found this insightful,
Kind regards,
Jenny
Question: Are you a hoarder?
Answers:
Hi!
My name is Alice and I am a Commodity Consultant for MOCC.
I use to be a hoarder. Magazines, post (yes, both Junk Mail and bills), clothes. You name it, I kept it. Why chuck anything away when there may be a use for it in the future?
It took moving out to university and living in a very small room to realise that a clutter free life is much easier to manage. Now my hoarding is limited to birthday cards and tickets for shows I have seen.
More generally, hoarding is highly prevalent with approximately 2-5% of the population are considered hoarders (potentially over 1.2 million people in the UK alone)
Source: Hoarding Disorder: What it is, and what it is not.
http://www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/what-is-hoarding/
Interestingly extreme hoarding is classified as a disorder:
"A hoarding disorder is where someone acquires an excessive number of items and stores them in a chaotic manner. The items can be of little or no monetary value and usually result in unmanageable amounts of clutter.
It's considered to be a significant problem if:
the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living – for example, the person is unable to use their kitchen or bathroom and cannot access rooms
the clutter is causing significant distress or negatively affecting the person's quality of life or their family's – for example, they become upset if someone tries to clear the clutter and their relationships with others suffer”
Source: Hoarding Disorder
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/hoarding/Pages/Introduction.aspx
What do you like to hoard?
Conversation
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