3 — Adithya Venugopal
Adulting and introspecting
Welcome to Objectively, a series about people and the objects that hold meaning for them.
Leading with curiosity, the project is interested in objects as extension and embodiment of selves. We want to give space for people to reconsider their relationships with things, maybe acquiring new understandings of themselves in the process.
This week, we have Adithya Venugopal share about what keeps him going.
Adithya Venugopal is an art director. Born in India and raised in Africa, he spent a lot of time in Khartoum, Bombay, and New York, before landing a job in Singapore. He loves 90s Hip-Hop, collecting watches, and Guy Ritchie films.
What object would you say personify you?
I would say it would be a mechanical watch—I am totally self-reliant but I need someone or something to inspire me and get me going.
Also I am perceived as easy-going and straightforward on the outside, just like a simple time-only mechanical watch, but that is a result of a lot of introspection and self-reflection on my part. Below the dial of the watch are many cogs and levers that keep the hands ticking.
And if you could be any object, what would you want to be?
I would be a nice piece of luggage because it’s usually an object that not just carries your belongings but also your joy and excitement, accompanying you on your holidays. It is also something that you really don’t realise you miss until it’s gone. Ooh, it also holds a lot of secrets.
What will be an object that holds significant memories for you, secrets aside?
I don’t really own anything that’s been with me since I can remember, but one thing that I now hold dear to me is a potted Pothos plant that I have had with me since I got a job. That’s when I became a grown up, and I have made sure it’s grown with me.
I felt bad when it went through a rough patch of wilting and browning leaves, but I rescued it and it is now growing fine. I feel like it is a symbol of my adult life, and its resilience gives me hope and inspiration to do better.
For you:
What object do you think symbolises your ‘adult life’?
Find out more about Adithya on his website and Instagram.
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