Nathalie’s story is rooted in simple domestic practices that have become symbolic within her memory. Living as an expatriate in a privileged social environment where newness is a marker of distinction and belonging, she developed a particular attentiveness to the lifespan of objects.
Each year, she kept the already-used school pencils, carefully sharpening them to extend their use, in contrast to the implicit expectation of replacing them. In the same way, using candles that had already been lit for a birthday surprised the children present, revealing a contrast between two systems of value.
These ordinary gestures thus become expressions of an ethic of care and continuity: objects do not lose their value through use, but continue to carry meaning and transmit something of themselves for as long as they remain.
