Collecting: History, Culture, and Motives of a Passion

My Master’s Thesis explores the phenomenon of collecting with a specialized focus on the horological world. Beyond the technical aspects of watches, this work analyzes why we collect, how the market is driven by emotional value, and the social significance of timepieces as cultural artifacts.

Key Research Areas:

• The Motives of Passion: Analysis of the psychological drivers behind the acquisition of luxury goods.
• Cultural Significance: How timepieces evolved from functional tools to status symbols and investment assets.
• Social Representation: The role of the collector within a community and the perception of curated collections.

The Book as a Performative Object

This project was not only a written thesis but also a comprehensive book design. My goal was to create a visual form that reflects the core of the research: the book itself becomes a kind of collection. A visible grid structure provides order throughout the pages, echoing the systematic and taxonomic nature of collecting.

Synergy of Research and Design

The collages featured in the book visually embody the act of collecting: searching, selecting, cutting, and combining fragments into new constellations. In this way, the design does not merely illustrate the topic – it performs it.

This dual approach demonstrates how form and content can reinforce each other. The book serves as both an analytical study of collecting and a designed object that stages collecting as a cultural practice within its very structure.