THE ABSOLUTE TRAVEL COLLECTION
- A wonderful and purely authentic exhibition to mock the absurdity of mass tourism and how it reduces a 1000 travel experiences into 1 standardized model.
Final year thesis project - BA (Hons). - Since 1961, the collector Tiphaine Guillermou travels in the most visited corners of the planet in quest of authentic ethnic objects, totems or souvenirs which stand out for their unique craft and savoir-faire.
Gathered here as a collection and sorted by themes, they recreate the visual experience of a journey.
The public is invited to see allegedly unique and authentic pieces, staged as in an ethnographic museum or a cabinet de curiosités.
Thus mis en scène, they lead the visitor to wonder about the discrepancy between their true standardized nature and the way they are represented. Just like when we travel, what we see is nothing but genuine. It is all fake pretending to be true.
Through this Collection, the essence of mass tourism is thus revealed in its standardized, absurd, absolute form. 
- BUY A SOUVENIR
- Object of interesting glittery aesthetic canons that a visitor brings back home, the souvenir has no other use than being a physical support to set the tourists’ memory of a travel.
READYMADE-IN-CHINA - 1969"Ny, Bali, Paris"Molded plasticOrigin: ChinaThe three rectangular pieces brought back by Tiphaine Guillermou were unearthed in New York, Bali, and Paris. Three continents, three extremely different trips:the souvenirs’ multiple shapes are a mirror image of these varied travel experiences.Rectangular standardized shapes with glitters, these Readymade-in-China are cheap,standardized and useless.- MONKEY BUSINESS - 1983
PeanutsOrigin: UnknownThis is a very fragile piece that has been badly damaged with the years.It was originally addressed to monkeys but the tourists seemed to enjoy it even more.Mass consumed everywhere in the world, peanuts are the symbol ofnever ending consumption. - DISILLUSION - 1994
"There is nothing to see"Plastic snow globeOrigin: ChinaWithout any image in it, this forever-fallen snow globe is a rare object. It is precisely because it is empty that it offers the possibility to imagine any scenery or monument inside. With this souvenir, the journey becomes both entirely conceivable and absolutely meaningless.Once meant to be shaken to see the glitters swirl, this dream-in-a-box is now perfectly still. Motionless thus meaningless. - SEND A POSTCARD
- Unlike normal postcards, the touristic dream is not promoted by an idyllic scenery or a mythical monument.
Here, it is something purely materialistic.
In this world lead by money, dreams belong to the ones who pay. - SEND A POSTCARD
- The glittery postcard offers a mass-produced alternative
to gold and diamonds. A standardized sham of luxury: mass tourism.
The dream promoted by the touristic industry will always be nothing but a representation of the truth. It is never truly accessible...
You wish you were here! - Isn’t there no better key than a universal credit card
to open the door to all desires?
The all-included dream is just within reach. - MEET THE LOCALS
- The collector had the immense opportunity to meet locals and watch an ethnic village perform their traditional lifestyle in the human zoo they live in, completely untouched by our modern civilization.
Tiliwa (below) belongs to the Hadza ethnic group. He and his people are hunter- gatherers, and occasional heavy drinkers.
They still wear their traditional outfits whenever the guides pay them
to hide their watches and jeans to dance for the dumbfounded visitors. - TILIWA - BORN IN 1973
Hadza ethnic groupHunter-gathererOrigin: Tanzania (Africa)Supposedly authentic and living traditions,the locals are nothing butstandardized ever-smiling puppets. - WITTY-EAGLE - BORN IN 1969Craft makerOrigin: Arizona (USA)Always smiling and looking good,the locals are great actors.
- VISIT THE MONUMENTS
- The authenticity and genuine character of touristic sites constantly stimulate our senses, with advertising signs for massages and car rental, and the tastiest local food delights –Mc Donald’s, pizzas and TexMex– provoking our delicate nostrils.
- "Place monument here" - "Place name of country here"
Separate elements attachable with Velcro - Detail
- This interactive poster invites the public to play with the elements
to recreate this authentic global scenery and be amazed
by how standardization makes things so easy. - THANK YOU FOR TRAVELLING WITH USPLEASE COME AGAIN
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