Terrorism and security have become defining concerns in contemporary society, shaping policies, behaviours, and public spaces across the globe. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, airport security in particular has taken on an intensified and highly visible role. New regulations governing what can and cannot be carried in hand luggage have led to the creation of vast, unintentional collections of prohibited objects—everyday items that suddenly become suspect within the context of air travel.

With the support of BAA at Gatwick Airport (London), I produced a photographic archive documenting hand luggage items confiscated over a two-week period. These objects, removed from their owners at the security checkpoint, form a portrait of contemporary anxieties and shifting definitions of risk. Though once ordinary and benign, they are transformed by circumstance into items of concern.

The collected objects were carefully sorted into seven distinct categories: SCISSORS, VANITY, TOOLS, DRINKING & SMOKING, CULINARY, TOY WEAPONS, and MISCELLANEOUS. This systematic categorisation echoes the procedural logic of airport security while allowing the viewer to consider the items anew—as evidence of changing cultural thresholds, as unintended artefacts, and as reflections of a society negotiating safety, fear, and control.