abigailconant.com
Curation is the spine of identity. It is the act of selecting, organizing,
and caring for a collection — whether physical, digital, or intangible.
What we choose to surround ourselves with shapes who we are and
who we strive to become.
This thesis explores how curation, authorship, and archiving intersect
to construct both personal and collective identities. By researching
and engaging in different collection practices, Curate to the Core
investigates how consciously grouping objects and media defines
persona and questions what persona means in the modern age. By
experimenting in both physical and digital mediums, I aim to uncover
design’s role in intentional preservation, define the principles of
meaningful curation, and then challenge them.
Through a speculative design lens, this research examines ordinary
but unconventional ways people collect and archive. By creating
“Toolkits of a False Reality” — physical collections of designed
ephemera that blur truth and fiction — I invite the audience to
question the authenticity of what we preserve and present. These
curated toolkits transform temporary objects like newspapers, tickets,
labels, and collectibles into tangible archives, highlighting the tension
between ephemerality and permanence, over-saturation and meaning.
Drawing from my background as an artist, designer, woman in identity
crisis, and purveyor of media culture, this work examines how curated
narratives can manipulate perception and redefine authorship. By
presenting archives as selected realities rather than objective records,
this thesis challenges traditional notions of preservation and
storytelling. Ultimately asking: In an age of impermanence and infinite
storage, what is worth saving, and who gets to decide?
Boston University College of Fine Arts
School of Visual Arts