Podcast Summary: "Dare to Discover the Invisible Stories"
Daring Creativity. Daring Forever.
Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Paula Zuccotti
Date: August 18, 2025
Overview
In this episode of Daring Creativity. Daring Forever., host Radim Malinic sits down with Paula Zuccotti, a London-based Argentinian designer, ethnographer, and self-described “future archaeologist.” They delve into Paula’s unique creative journey, from her roots in Buenos Aires to her pioneering visual research project, “Everything We Touch,” which visually documents all the objects a person interacts with in a single day. Their conversation explores creativity, identity, observation, and the power of storytelling through the lens of ordinary, everyday objects.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Paula’s Creative Origins & Evolution
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Early Curiosity and Education
- Paula describes her industrial design studies in Argentina as a jump into the unknown; inspired by the desire to learn something she knew nothing about.
- Observational skills rooted in childhood, spending quiet time with her grandmothers, observing their disparate lifestyles and habits.
- Quote:
“I used to observe my grandmother doing things like folding wrapping paper and just like, little acts … I end up doing that for companies, helping them create better packaging.” — Paula Zuccotti, 13:49
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Transition to London and Seymour Powell
- Won a British Council scholarship for post-graduate studies in the UK; joined famed consultancy Seymour Powell, eventually becoming Head of Research and Futures.
- Discovered “design ethnography” and was inspired to fuse design, anthropology, and trend forecasting before such disciplines commonly intersected.
The Birth of “Everything We Touch”
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Project Genesis
- Realized through years in design consultancy how rapidly physical objects in our lives become obsolete and wanted to capture this shift.
- Sought to document daily life “without filters”—not as seen through the lens of brands or market research, but through pure human experience.
- Quote:
“The concept is, tell the story of someone by showing a day in their lives … photograph every single thing that a person touches in a single day … can we tell someone's life by just looking at all the objects they touch?” — Paula Zuccotti, 17:40
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Rewriting the Idea of Time Capsules and Selfies
- Contrasts her method to the curated “selfie” culture—her process reveals the real, mundane, messy truths about people's lives, rather than just their highlight reels.
Methodology and Technical Details
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First Subjects and Development of Process
- The project began with her best friend Clarissa; moved on to her own family members, then to more diverse subjects globally.
- Developed a protocol to ensure consistency: all items placed on a white, arctic background, chronology preserved, each person allotted the exact same amount of space, technical setup for photography refined over time.
- “Ninja moves” required to assemble items without disturbing layout.
- Quote:
“Each photo takes me like four and a half hours to make on the floor. And I'm wearing socks and leggings ... even my clothes can move objects!” — Paula Zuccotti, 27:07
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Arranging and Photographing Projects
- Photos read left to right, top to bottom, like paragraphs. Technical constraints (e.g., tall items centered, organization by time) influence layout.
- Minimal but necessary post-production to remove blue tack, masking tape, and make photos “immaculate.”
Insights Gained From the Project
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Personal Reflections and Mindfulness
- Many subjects find the project surprisingly mindful, becoming aware for the first time of everyday habits or dependencies—be it cigarettes, snacks, or talismans.
- “I had people saying that they found the exercise really mindful ... stopping to think about things that you do daily that you don't think about.” — Paula Zuccotti, 31:39
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Cultural Stories and Societal Trends
- Completed portraits across dozens of countries and professions—from Shanghai gymnasts to indigenous hunters in Taiwan, revealing how identity, culture, and circumstance shape daily lives.
- Discussion of lockdown project: thousands shared their “15 essentials” during the pandemic, revealing both commonalities and striking cultural differences in how people coped.
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Objects, Happiness, and Meaning
- There’s no direct correlation between the number of objects and happiness or wealth; all people, regardless of status, surround themselves with “necessary” meaning-laden objects.
- Quote:
“I think everybody needs stuff daily and will apply meaning to all the things they have … I’ll remove that layer of consumerism and wealth and happiness.” — Paula Zuccotti, 38:32
Notable Stories and Quotes
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On Photographing Her Mother’s Objects
- Emotional resonance in seeing her mother’s life through the objects she interacts with—a shift from her business life to her current passions reflected in the items.
- “It was like opening a new lens into my mom's life … It's a really nice way of photographing your loved ones by their possessions.” — Paula Zuccotti, 44:46
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A Cowboy’s Wisdom
- Cites a subject:
“You can tell how people feel by everything they touch.” — Recapped by Radim, 46:18
- Cites a subject:
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On Invisible Stories and Unasked Questions
- The structure invites deeper, less accessible conversations:
“I get fascinated by asking questions that I'm not allowed to ask in any other way. If you give me all your objects, I can straight ask you … you enter a very amazing conversation.” — Paula Zuccotti, 47:14
- The structure invites deeper, less accessible conversations:
Creativity, Funding, and Legacy
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Persistence and Self-funding
- Persevered after initial publisher rejections; used book advance to fund the first 60 portraits; subsequent work is self-funded or via commissions, always seeking new, diverse stories.
- “Why am I waiting for Penguin to tell me that I can do this project? … So I went away and started to photograph.” — Paula Zuccotti, 50:29
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Indigenous Wisdom and Archaeology of Everyday Life
- Sees deep value in documenting indigenous and marginalized lives—believes their “wisdom is trapped in the objects.”
- Shares a favorite indigenous quote:
“In Latin America, South American communities say: your future is on your back and your past is on the front. What you carry ... is your past. The only thing you can see. And what you have behind is the future … that is what you cannot see. So I want to see that in objects.” — Paula Zuccotti, 54:43
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A Wish for Her Grandmothers
- Expresses regret at not having documented her grandmothers’ lives through objects—emphasizing that sometimes the most meaningful stories are personal, not famous.
- “I don't have stuff. I have the memory, which is more valuable than anything and I'm not losing that. But it would be good to have had that story.” — Paula Zuccotti, 55:14
Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps
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On Childhood Observation & Creative DNA
“I used to observe my grandmother doing things like folding wrapping paper ... that contemplative, quiet environment gave me a lot of time in my head to think, looking at things and processing and coming up with my own ideas.” — Paula, 13:49 -
On the Truth of Objects
“Everything we touch is like an X ray of your life because it is everything you do in 24 hours.” — Paula, 17:40 -
On Personal Revelation During the Project
“People found the exercise really mindful in terms of stopping to think about things that you do daily that you don't think about.” — Paula, 31:39 -
Cultural Resilience in Objects
“In so many photos I have from Africa, one of the ways in which communities…will go to church together as a community. In the absence of that, my photos have a zoom next to a computer next to a Bible.” — Paula, 39:28 -
On Regret & Legacy
“My grandmothers could have been good ones, because I would have learned a lot through them … I don't have stuff. I have the memory, which is more valuable than anything ... But it would be good to have had that story.” — Paula, 55:14
Important Timestamps
- 04:53 – Paula’s background, education, and cultural influences
- 12:10 – Discovery of design ethnography and career at Seymour Powell
- 17:40 – Explaining the “Everything We Touch” project concept
- 21:42 – Early stories and technical evolution
- 27:07 – Technical details of the photographic process
- 31:39 – Subjects’ reactions and mindfulness
- 38:32 – Discussion on happiness, material possessions, and meaning
- 44:46 – Photographing her mother and emotional impact
- 54:43 – Indigenous wisdom and reflections on legacy
Summary Tone and Takeaways
The conversation is thoughtful, reflective, and warm—filled with mutual curiosity and admiration for the creative process. Paula’s work is positioned as an antidote to superficial depictions of life, instead offering a window into the complex, unseen stories that our ordinary objects can tell. Her journey underscores the central message of the series: creativity—and life—is not about perfection, but about daring to make meaning out of the invisible, the overlooked, and the everyday.
For more on Paula's work:
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