Clutch in the Everyday

Diana Yukari Pereira

I carried Clutch with me for an average day: work, classes, walks and train rides, and carrying an
object that had to be displayed made me hyper aware of people, spaces and my own place in
everyday conditions. As an introvert, it is hard for me to fully understand the concept of community
and discussing it is very complex for me since I don't always feel I experience it. However, the act of
carrying Clutch made me think of the environments I am constantly immersed in and how they
constitute communities that I am part of without even realizing it. More than that, I realized how
Clutch can not only create a community around it, a class or a group of people that get together to view the art pieces in it, but it is also a contribution to existing communities.

The connection it creates between people through the momentary shared interest was one of the most rewarding parts of carrying clutch. During my time with Clutch, I also observed different kinds of reactions from viewers who were not interested at all to those who started intense discussions over its concept. I noticed that people would react with more enthusiasm when they were approached in a situation where they were not alone, and the interest would hardly ever end with the closing of clutch’s lid. I saw many conversations starting from the end of the performative act that is opening and closing it, and the performative act itself was the topic of many conversations I had. The moment of unlocking it, right before opening the small gallery is very exciting for everyone who saw clutch, even if the interest in it did not continue. I was aware of that beforehand, but to realize that there was not a single person who reacted indifferently to this moment was to realize that we are all part of at least one community, the one made of human beings.