The House Is Burning!

While visiting this excellent exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery here in London over the weekend, I was reminded of the extraordinary value we give to objects. If you heard your flatmate screaming `the house is burning!´ and had to rush out, how valuable would they actually be?

There is this website, which a friend has mentioned to me, where people post pictures of objects they would actually like to take with them in case of a fire. They are really interesting, as one can guess bits of people´s personality, much in the same way as in the exhibition that I mentioned above.

The objects exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery belonged to professional women late thirties-mid forties living in different areas in the world. Some of them were pretty much the usual things, but we wouldn´t really think of them when fleeing a fire. That is, wallet, pictures/ postcards, some make-up, etc.

I wondered how many of those things we carry on our bags or pockets would we actually choose to carry or regret not to have carried with us if we heard `the house is burning!´.

I would regret to leave behind:

• My laptop;
• Some of my books;
• Camera;
• Phone charger;
• Passport;
• Contacts case;
• A scarf, if it is not warm enough;
• Some pictures and other objects given to my by friends and family.

I would take (almost instinctively):

• My bag (with my mobile phone, purse, a pen, house and office keys, a book and some other bits and pieces);   
• My coat.

What about you?