The Matchstick Archive: My Father's Wooden Collection

Abdullah Syamil Iskandar | 2025

When I found an old shoebox tucked in the corner of a room and opened it, I discovered dozens of wooden matchsticks inside. Some were colorful, some faded with age. A few appeared to be from abroad, and many were printed with the names of restaurants, hotels, or places that may no longer exist.

That discovery inspired me to create a photo series based on the collection. I started asking my father: when did he start collecting these matchsticks? Where did they come from? What stories were behind them?

He couldn’t quite remember when it all began. “Maybe back in college,” he said. The matchsticks came from different sources—some were bought, others traded, and many were given by friends or relatives. For my father, each matchstick holds a story: about a place, a moment, or something that happened along the way.

In total, there are 72 matchsticks in the collection. What’s interesting isn’t just the variety of box designs, but also the matchsticks themselves—not only in the usual brown, but also in red, blue, and even white. A small detail that adds to the character of each piece.

Because the collection is quite old, some matchsticks have become fragile—just picking them up can cause them to break. But that’s part of what makes the collection special: simple objects, marked by time.

Through this photo series, I wanted to document something that may seem small, but carries meaning. A quiet, personal collection that had long been kept out of sight, now given a space to be seen and shared.

The Matchstick Archive, 2025