If you’re a fan of gimcrackery, gewgaw, tchotchke, knickknacks, and other curiosities, then you need to see The Office of Collecting and Design, a mobile museum parked outside The Bunker (810 Orcutt Road, SLO) through May 3 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
The interactive museum of “lost” and “forgotten” objects housed in a 42-foot-long trailer is the brainchild of artist and filmmaker Jessica Oreck, who amassed her enormous collection of miniature items like detached toy limbs, stone marbles, pencil stubs, lost buttons, empty matchboxes, and other objects many find little value in, but taken as a collection become a fascinating “nostalgia machine” that can transport “visitors into a world of delight, curiosity, and half-buried memories,” organizers explained.
It’s very hands-on, and visitors are encouraged to open every drawer and explore every box. You can engage in a scavenger hunt, following clues on a hand-drawn map to discover favorite objects in the collections. You can experience a “Flatlay Session” where you can curate, sort, arrange, and photograph your own flatlay, going home with an instant film print of your creation.
All tickets must be booked in advance online at officeofcollecting.com. Δ
This article appears in Best of SLO County 2025.
