I’ve had five nightstands over the last five years, including a desk, A/C unit, upturned drawer, windowsill, and one traditional bedside table. I define “nightstand” as the first and last surface interacted with between sleep cycles.

Studying other people’s bedside surfaces, I started speculating on what objects reveal about a person’s self-perception during the most significant moments of the day. Whether an object is a temporary preference or a lasting fixture, it evokes a sense of identity, often unacknowledged in the moment, but always present in the background.

While sifting through old photos, I caught glimpses of my nightstands in the background and felt compelled to examine my own evolution more closely.

The series begins in 2020, marked by freshmen year’s bedside FourLoko, and continues through the years, culminating in the present day with a water bottle.