100 Objects of Emotion that Represent the Human Condition

How did we chose the featured objects?

The objects chosen for this set of '100 Objects of Emotion that Represent the Human Condition' are based on the following criteria:

That the objects should range from the quotidian to the extraordinary, and from the banal to the sacred;
That they should be limited to generic rather than particular objects (the list includes iconic branded objects such as the AK47 a subcategory category of machine guns, but this is still a generic object rather than a particular AK47 that has been used in a particular situation);
That the objects are limited to those produced, fabricated, or symbolically ordered by humans. In this sense, the category of objects here is narrower than the full potential list of objects, and does not for example include categories of animals and plants, rocks and rivers. It does not include the body parts of living beings except when they are separated out from living body and become things in themselves. It does not include natural features such as mountains or volcanoes—particular examples of which are included in ‘Places’;
That the chosen objects should elicit a potentially wide range of different kinds of emotions, without presuming what those emotions might be;
That the chosen objects should represent the full range of social engagements: ecological, economic, political and cultural (using the Circles taxonomy of domains and subdomains framework);
That they cover the temporal range of the human condition—ancient to contemporary objects; and
That they cover the ontological range of the human condition—objects framed by customary to postmodern ontologies.

For example, when mapped against the Circles of Social Life domains and subdomains, you can see we have achieved a full spread, but certain subdomains are featured much more heavily. For example, though the criteria do not suggest a bias towards violence and military activities, the political subdomain of security and accord features as the most heavily represented theme. Objects with a primary cultural orientation feature more strongly than objects with an economic orientation (even though the domain of economics increasingly dominates how people act in the world).

Ecology
Subdomains	Number
1. Materials and Energy	1
2. Water and Air	2
3. Flora and Fauna	3
4. Habitat and Settlements	1
5. Built-Form and Mobility	5
6. Embodiment and Sustenance	5
7. Emission and Waste	6

Economics
Subdomain	Number
1. Production and Resourcing	3
2. Exchange and Transfer	2
3. Accounting and Regulation	2
4. Consumption and Use	4
5. Labour and Welfare	3
6. Technology and Infrastructure	3
7. Wealth and Distribution	1

Politics
Subdomains	Numbers
1. Organization and Governance	2
2. Law and Justice	3
3. Communication and Critique	4
4. Representation and Negotiation	1
5. Security and Accord	10
6. Dialogue and Reconciliation	1
7. Ethics and Accountability	1

Culture
Subdomain	Numbers
1. Identity and Engagement	6
2. Creativity and Recreation	9
3. Memory and Projection	4
4. Beliefs and meaning	6
5. Gender and Generations	7
6. Enquiry and Learning	3
7. Wellbeing and Health	2

The chosen list of 'Objects of Emotion'

NB. The list is ordered from basic and old to more recent.

	Name	Era	Domain: Subdomain
1.	Human skull	Ancient	Culture: memory and projection
2.	Mask	Ancient	Culture: identity and engagement
3.	Bed	Ancient	Ecology: embodiment and sustenance
4.	Hammer	Ancient	Economics: production and resourcing
5.	Drum	Ancient	Culture: creativity and recreation
6.	Coffin	Ancient	Culture: memory and projection (2)
7.	Birthing pool	Ancient	Culture: gender and generations
8.	Money	Ancient	Economics: wealth and distribution
9.	Dice	Ancient	Culture: creativity and recreation (2)
10.	Keys	Ancient	Politics: security and accord
11.	Manuscript	Ancient	Culture: belief and meaning
12.	Football	Ancient	Culture: identity and engagement (2)
13.	Perfume	Ancient	Culture: gender and generations (2)
14.	Wig	Ancient	Culture: identity and engagement (3)
15.	Mirror	Ancient	Culture: identity and engagement (4)
16.	Picture frame	Ancient	Culture: creativity and recreation (3)
17.	Flowers in a vase		Ecology: flora and fauna
18.	Glass melted	Ancient	Ecology: materials and energy
19.	Ivory carving	Ancient	Ecology: flora and fauna (2)
20.	Smoking pipe	Ancient	Culture: gender and generations (3)
21.	Scales of Justice	Ancient	Politics: ethics and accountability
22.	Spinning wheel	Ancient	Economics: labour and welfare
23.	Human faeces	Ancient	Ecology: emission and waste
24.	Toilet	Ancient	Ecology: wellbeing and health
25.	Handcuffs	Ancient	Politics: law and justice
26.	Noose	Ancient	Politics: law and justice (2)
27.	Tent	Ancient	Culture: creativity and recreation (4)
28.	Model ship	Ancient	Culture: creativity and recreation (5)
29.	Surf board	Ancient	Ecology: water and air (1)
30.	Urban security wall	Ancient	Politics: security and accord (2)
31.	Buddha’s statue	Ancient	Culture: belief and meaning (2)
32.	Menorah	Ancient	Culture: belief and meaning (3)
33.	Veil	Ancient	Culture: belief and meaning (4)
34.	Cross	2^nd C	Culture: belief and meaning (5)
35.	Paper	2^nd C	Culture: enquiry and learning
36.	Bible	4^th C	Culture: belief and meaning (6)
37.	Stained glass window	7^th C	Culture: belief and meaning (6)
38.	Double-entry book-keeping ledger	14^th C	Economics: accounting and regulation
39.	Globe	15^th C	Politics: dialogue and reconciliation
40.	Book	15^th C	Politics: communication and critique (1)
41.	Bra	15^th C	Culture: gender and generations (4)
42.	Diamond engagement ring	15^th C	Culture: gender and generations (5)
43.	Mop	15^th C	Economics: labour and welfare (2)
44.	Family portrait	16^th C	Culture: memory and projection (3)
45.	Pistol	16^th C	Politics: security and accord (3)
46.	Wrist watch	16^th C	Economics: accounting and regulation (2)
47.	Newspaper	17^th C	Politics: communication and critique (3)
48.	High-heel shoes	17^th C	Culture: gender and generations (5)
49.	Boxing gloves	17^th C	Culture: creativity and recreation (6)
50.	Telescope	17^th C	Culture: enquiry and learning (2)
51.	National flag	18^th C	Politics: representation and negotiation (1):
52.	Glass of wine	18^th C?	Culture: memory and projection (4)
53.	Battery	18^th C	Economics: production and resourcing (2)
54.	Hypodermic syringe	19^th C	Ecology: embodiment and sustenance (2)
55.	Stethoscope	19^th C	Ecology: embodiment and sustenance (3)
56.	Cigarette	19^th C	Culture: wellbeing and health (2)
57.	Filing cabinet	19^th C	Politics: organization and governance (1)
58.	Barbed wire	19^th C	Politics: security and accord (4)
59.	Police baton	19^th C	Politics: law and justice (3)
60.	Passport	19^th C	Politics: organization and governance (2)
61.	Life-jacket	19^th C	Ecology: embodiment and sustenance (4)
62.	Bicycle	19^th C	Ecology: built-form and mobility (1)
63.	QWERTY keyboard	19^th C	Economics: labour and welfare (3)
64.	Test tube	19th C	Economics: technology and infrastructure (2)
65.	Headphones	20^th C	Culture: creativity and recreation (7)
66.	Soft-drink glass bottle	20^th C	Economics: consumption and use (1)
67.	Television	20^th C	Culture: creativity and recreation (8)
68.	CCTV Camera	20^th C	Politics: security and accord (5)
69.	Computer	20^th C	Economics: technology and infrastructure (1)
70.	Dentist chair	20^th C	Ecology: embodiment and sustenance (5)
71.	Billboard	20^th C	Economics: consumption and use (2)
72.	Dinosaur skeleton	20^th C	Ecology: flora and fauna (3)
73.	Gas mask	20^th C	Politics: security and accord (6)
74.	AK47 machine gun	20^th C	Politics: security and accord (7)
75.	Nuclear missile	20^th C	Politics: security and accord (8)
76.	Atomic bomb mushroom cloud	20^th C	Ecology: emission and waste (2)
77.	Nuclear shelter	20^th C	Politics: security and accord (9)
78.	Condom	20^th C	Culture: gender and generations (6)
79.	Plastic water bottle	20^th C	Ecology: water and air (2)
80.	Disposable coffee cup	20^th C	Ecology: emission and waste (3)
81.	DNA image	20^th C	Culture: enquiry and learning (3)
82.	Ultrasound wand	20^th C	Culture: gender and generations (7)
83.	Electric guitar	20^th C	Culture: creativity and recreation (9)
84.	Credit card	20^th C	Economics: exchange and transfer (1)
85.	Skin-whitening cream	20^th C	Culture: identity and engagement (5)
86.	Car	20^th C	Ecology: built-form and mobility (2)
87.	Tractor	20^th C	Economics: production and resourcing (3)
88.	Bulldozer	20^th C	Economics: technology and infrastructure (2)
89.	Construction crane	20^th C	Economics: technology and infrastructure (3)
90.	Traffic lights	20^th C	Ecology: built-form and mobility (3)
91.	Petrol bowser	20^th C	Ecology: built-form and mobility (4)
92.	Oil spill	20^th C	Ecology: emission and waste (5)
93.	Skyscraper	20^th C	Ecology: built-form and transport (5)
94.	Plastic bag	20^th C	Economics: consumption and use (3)
95.	Hamburger	20^th	Economics: consumption and use (4)
96.	Megaphone	20^th C	Politics: communication and critique (4)
97.	Lawn mower	20^th C	Ecology: habitat and settlements (1)
98.	Recycling bin	21^st C	Ecology: emission and waste (6)
99.	Smartphone	21^st C	Culture: identity and engagement (6)
100.	Drone	21^st C	Politics: security and accord (10)

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