curated by OmarOwen

The Age of Enlightenment. An ever increasing amount of wooden ships ploughing the ocean waves on expeditions, trading missions or to protect national interests far away from home. Caravans with oddly dressed westerners crossing Africa’s deserts or hacking their way through jungles in search for fabled treasures or sources of great rivers. The world was for the taking. A rekindled scientific interest translated into an almost rabid fascination for all things natural and cultural.

The more exotic, the better. And when found, it was brought home, catalogued, carefully drawn from all angles, published, printed and exhibited in Europe’s many mansions, museums and universities. Collecting natural and cultural artefacts has been of tremendous help in progressing scientific knowledge. Traveling from port to port we were fascinated, we learned and increased our scope. And foreign cultures were of course happy to comply: harbour towns, bazars and markets obeying the international laws of supply and demand offered an ever increasing assortment of wares. It’s from this time onwards that our love for collections manifested itself. A solitary object, out of its natural context seems lost and without a purpose, but by placing it next to a range of similar artefacts it gains ‘raison d’être’ once more. It found a new context as well as a purpose by becoming part of a collection. Collections educate us and bring us back to their places and times of origin. This realization forms the foundation of a retail formula that fits the OmarOwen concept like a glove.