Mod Off: An Archive of Modified Objects

 

ModOff Blog

 

What is a Mod?

 

MOD OFF

Make Do, Make Better, Make Different

Mod Off : modified objects, photographic documentation and working sketches by artists and non-artists that all utilise existing objects experimentally to create better or alternative devices.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT’S A MOD:

Did I buy it?

(But no one expected it to be used like this.)

Could it not possibly have been purchased?

Did I alter it?

Made it from scratch?

Stuck it together?

Does it seem like genius?

(But you’re worried you might be alone.)

Does it do something?

Does it do something especially for you?

Is it a solution that is under appreciated?

Was it possible no one else needed this till you came along?

Does this item deserve more respect?

Does it make you happy?

 

You often don’t know what is going to happen when you Mod- Will it work? Will it break? It takes a little audacity to mess with the ordering of objects. Mods are about bending the rules so slapdash repairs, awkward fumbling creations or purposefully designed and ingeniously made objects, can all be excellent Mods. If mass machine production has made us get used to the elegance of perfection to the point where it’s the casual default for our expectations, Mods often mess with the look. Someone burnt a hole in a petticoat whilst ironing, replaced the iron shape with different fabric and even trimmed it decoratively with lace. In the context of standard repairs this might not go down as a success. But with a Mod nothing need be disguised unless you want it that way, the modifying, the shifting, the figuring it out can be seen all over the place. The petticoat is a fantastic Mod, found in an op-shop but we wish we knew who did it.

 

Amy Marjoram and Yvette King

Co-curators of Mod Off

 

 

 

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