'Stuff '

I have been looking into doing a project on collections of  ''STUFF''.
My interest was aroused initially by a visit to the home of a couple who have been involved in artistic pursuits all their lives and have built up the most inspiring collection of objects from antique to junk finds.This collection is hosted in the rather magnificent  Georgian Priory Manor in Long Bennington, Newark.

Roger Lee, a sculpture/artist, and his wife Carol, a fashion designer, bought this house in the 1980's when they ran an extremely successful fashion line in designer ballgowns which they sold mainly to Eastern European and Japanese markets.
They had previously lived in a little cottage across the road, and so when they bought the Priory,which was in quite a dilapidated state, they had to start from scratch making it into a family home. This they have done in a spectacular way using wonderfully vibrant colours and fabrics. It is however  their collection of furniture and artifacts that makes this house stand out as a treasure trove of collectible objects.
From their old cottage they brought with them a few favourite belongings, grandmas pottery, photographs etc., but all other items in their new house have been collected specifically to fit within this rather grand interior and I believe to showcase the owners extraordinary characters. I would like to propose that these artifacts, of which they are numerous, reflect the owners personality and as such are representative  of their personal identities.The random pieces that have been collected over the years are a creation of identity, and history which in some ways has been dictated to by the grandness of the house itself.
Many of these finds have an unknown history attached to them but in this new environment these items
will create a new history through their reappropriation.