“I’ve been collecting for decades – I started with furniture. And then paintings and ceramics, and then graduated onto books and documents.
“I had quite a nomadic childhood, but both my parents were collectors. My mother was an avid book collector, hence the books. My father was a collector of African and Asian art because we lived in Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana and Tanzania. I find having personal things around me very grounding. Growing up, I didn’t have masses of stuff, but as I became a young adult, I became very specific about how things were. Whenever we moved, I always packed my things myself and I knew where it all was when I got there. Even as a kid, I’d do that. I don’t know where that comes from. Either you’re obsessive or you’re not.
“This Document selection runs from the beginning of the 20th century, really, to now. The thread running through it is that these different works – these people – were shaping society, changing society, defining society. Creating communities and families. And there are strange connections, unexpected relationships – there’s a link between Orlando and what was going on at Studio 54.
“Everything still feels relevant – Virginia Woolf’s mental health, transcending sexuality, time travelling, thinking about politics. They were dictating what we are today. They’re all forward-thinking, and I’ve tried to be forward-thinking, in a way. It’s not forced and it’s something that I’ve never really talked about. It’s the most exciting thing – people
