Rohan L Anderson, 35, Ballarat, Australia, Photography & Design

If your house was burning, what would you take with you? It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental. Have you really thought this answer through?
This is the exact premise of Robert Holden’s intriguing project, titled ‘The Burning House’.
The hypothetical question makes us realise how important some objects are to us. Let's take a look at some of my favourite submissions. The contrast in what people find important is rather amazing.

Rohan's List:(above)

- Nixon Chrono Dive Watch
- Japanese bone handle knife (had it for 22 years)
- Led Lenser torch
- iPhone
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4
- 500gig Time Machine Back Up
- Macbook
- My glasses. Can’t see without em so may as well gram em! (yes they have real lenses in them)
- One of my Nikons.
- CZ 22 Magnum. It’s my favourite hunting tool.
- Barbor International
- G-Star Raw circa 2004? Love these guys. I haven’t bought G-Star since. I’m happy just to keep these as the best pair of jeans I’ve ever owned.

Mikael Kennedy, 31, Brooklyn, NY, Photographer

Mikael's List:
- Large Olive Green Filson Duffel
- 6 boxes of my Polaroids (I only could fit 6 out of the 18 that are full, priorities include, edit for next show & Passport to Trespass book edits)
- Workbook from ‘The Odysseus’ photo series
- St. Christopher Necklace given to me by an old friend when he was done traveling and had settled down
- Grandfathers Timex (still broken)
- Small tin of dirt from the Santuario De Chimayo in Chimayo, NM
- Black Polaroid SX70 Special Edition
- Custom Polaroid case from Strawfoot Handmade
- Two bricks of the last Polaroid 779 batches ever made (Expiration Date 09)
- Wallet
- Keys to my Chevy
- Harddrive with latest backup from computer
- iPhone
- First edition of Johnny Dark’s ‘People I may know’ published by Little Bear Press

Claudia Bessi, 20, Tuscany, Italy, Student of Design

Claudia List:
-My grandpa’s sculpture
-My sketch-book with my first professional paint-brush
-My blue horse in glass, a memory of my childhood
-The necklace my boyfriend gives me for my birthday
-My birds in fabric hanging above my bed
-“The Alchimist”, my favourite book, a present of my best friend for my 18th birthday
-My ring, I always always wear it
-My very special photos
-My MacBook with the pink caterpillar!

T.I.,31, Sao Paulo, Brazil

T.I.'s List
-Magtech shotgun
-Ammunition
-Foreign money
-My father’s watch
-Bank Tolken
-Car key
-Birth certificate
-Hard drive

Laura Pritchett, 24, Southern Delaware, Artist

Laura's List:
- The unglamorous but practical galoshes that I wear most often
- A painting I am (almost) satisfied with
- An irreplaceable blouse which has no tag and I have no idea who made it, but love
- The wooden clothes hanger from my grandfather’s closet
- The perfectly weathered belt I am rarely without
- Candid shot of grandfather and his car
- The last remnant of family plaid my grandmother brought back from Ireland
- Keys from my childhood scavenging
- 1957 edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook with my grandmother’s and mother’s recipe alterations handwritten in the margins
- The bit I trained two horses with
- Klein bag with my well broken in sable brushes
- The hatchet my great grandfather used to build his house
- The Ball jar that I keep all of my flash drives in
- Family Bible
- Moleskine journal I kept while traveling in Uganda
- First fabric sample produced by Tukula.org with my design for Ugandan tailors
- iPhone

The McMillans, both 36, Minneapolis, Menswear

The McMillans' List:
-Orrlaskan Wool Blanket
-Antique 1970s Encyclopedia Brittanica Globe
-Baby Gator head
-Mac’s Fishing rods
-Kat’s favorite bag by Schuler + sons
-Photo of Tess, Kat’s first dog + love
-Kat’s Adidas Sambas
-Mac’s Sperry Boat Sneakers
-Pierrepont Hicks FW11 Tie
-Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
-Scrapbooks from Africa and Beyond by Peter Beard
-Baby: Mimi McMillan, 10 weeks old
-Not Shown: Camille McMillan age 2

Sebastian Kuntz, 19, Germany, Student / Freelance Photographer 

Sebastian's List:
-Canon ae-1
-Two films (color + b/w)
-My wallet (very necessary)
-Pencil case (filler + other pens)
-My favorite album (coldplay - parachutes)
-Old pocket watch (broken)
-Dried flower (an encouraging gift)
-My favorite book (the catcher in the rye)
-Crystal stone (high personal value)
-Two notebooks (my thoughts)
-Conceptum + pencil
-iPod touch (never be without music)
-Two black felt pens (to draw)
-British pen (gift)
-Two frames (love them)
-Pen pocket

Jeremy Zini, 30, Brooklyn, NY, Artist

Jeremy's List:
-Cash
-Cigs
-Custom made boots from Argentina
-Favorite Jeans
-Leatherman
-Lighter
-Macbook Pro
-Passports

Frida Vega Salomonsson, Stockholm, Sweden, Student

Frida's List:
-My bunny Tingeling
-Konica Pop
-External harddrive
-MacBook
-Urbanears
-iPhone
-Passport
-My favorite blouse
-The book i’m currently reading
-A picture of me with my stillborn little brother
-My camera, not in the picture but did capture this picture.

Maggie Rudy, 52, Portland, Oregon, Artist, Children’s Book Illustrator

Maggie's Items:
-Jackie, my childhood doll
-my wallet, made from a feed sack
-a postcard from Maurice Sendak, received in response to a fan letter I wrote in 1970
-my great-grandmother’s prom dress
-my glasses
-pictures of my sons
-a bird brooch, given to me by my husband
-a photograph of my dad, circa 1938 by Brett Weston
-little felt mice characters that I made
-my laptop

Hannah Queen, 20, Blue Ridge, Georgia, Photographer

Hannah's List :
- Basket of family photos, old and new
- Macbook
- iPhone
- Wallet
- Cast iron skillet
- Leather bracelet with mustard seed charm, which was my grandmothers
- Leather bracelet, a gift from my mom
- L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream
- L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes
- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra
- Letters & postcards from friends
- Favorite tea towel, which was a gift
- The complete works of Jane Austen
- Blue ball jar, filled with river rocks. Souvenirs from a perfect day.
- Minnetonka moccasins
- Favorite wooden spoon
- Two forks from old family silverware
- Twig spoon, a gift from a friend
- Not pictured, Canon 5d Mark II

The Burning House website

You might also like:

YAKUZA - A Rare Look Inside