Things We Didn’t Know We Needed

Markets are fascinating places because they’re built around temptation rather than necessity. Nobody arrives desperately needing a candle shaped like a torso.

Or a bottom.

Or several bottoms arranged neatly on a display shelf. Yet there they are, attracting far more attention than a scented candle ever could.

I spotted this stall while wandering through a craft market and found myself watching people’s reactions. Most did exactly the same thing. They noticed the display, smiled to themselves, then tried to look as though they hadn’t noticed it at all.

A very British response.

What interested me more was the person behind the stall.

While shoppers were busy inspecting an impressive collection of sculpted curves, the maker sat quietly in the background, almost detached from the scene. After a while, I imagined she had probably answered the same questions hundreds of times.

“Do people actually buy these?”

Apparently they do. Quite a lot of them, I’d guess.

There’s something amusing about the whole arrangement. Hours of craftsmanship, careful presentation and artistic effort, all competing for attention in a room full of handmade jewellery, artwork and crafts. Yet it’s the candles with the best backsides that stop people in their tracks.

Perhaps that’s human nature.

We like to think we’re drawn to culture, creativity and craftsmanship, but we’re still remarkably easy to distract.

The longer I stood there, the more the photograph became less about candles and more about people. What catches our eye. What makes us stop. What we’re willing to carry home and place proudly on a shelf despite having absolutely no practical reason to own it.

Although, judging by the number of people gathered around this stall, practical reasons were never really the point.