The Brick Connoisseur

A love of bricks, the girl who is the brick connoisseur, stopping in her tracks to stare, even touch the bricks.

Taityana Jofor, a normal 21-year-old, usual interests, clothes, big art enthusiast, has an indefinite love for bricks. Yes, you read that correctly, she loves bricks. Now, this isn’t just a, ‘wow, that’s a really nice house!’ type of thing, the girl is besotted over bricks. It has become part of her everyday life, she can’t walk down the street without having to stop and stare at the bricks, weighing up whether or not they are worthy to have their photograph taken.

You’re a new house? Definitely not, classic Victorian house with mid-century elements? Yes please.

We all have our unique interests, this is Taityana’s…

1. Talk to me about your fascination toward bricks…

I don’t just have a fasciation, but also a deep appreciation towards them. There’s a still, quiet beauty about Bricks that I feel is under-appreciated. There’s just so much character and life in them that others can’t see! Which just adds to the serene beauty of them.

2. Discuss bricks

All I have to say in regard to Bricks as a whole is – appreciate them more. They’re your home, your life, your future and someone else’s past, just sometimes stop living your life and take a look at the still life around you. You’ll be surprised at what you see

3. Where did the love of bricks stem from?

I stayed in a small town in the French Countryside and saw this wall of old ruined bricks with tiny purple flowers sprouting out of the cracks and I just fell in love with it. I stopped dead in my tracks and found myself gazing at it for what felt like forever. I think it was the mixture of the history the wall held the flowers and my relaxed state of mind that just allowed me to fall in love with a fucking wall.

4. How long have you loved bricks for?

Since that day. I was 14 at the time, and I’ve made sure that the photo I took on that day is on every phone I’ve had since.

5. Do you think this is an odd obsession?

Not really, I’m sure there’s weirder out there. I would say the only time I would say it can become an “odd obsession” is when I’m in public and someone sees me taking a picture of a brick wall or just touching one; the stares I get can sometimes be a little odd – but I find it funny.

6. How has it become part of your everyday life?

Noticing bricks has become second nature to me now. It’s the first thing I notice when I walk down the street, in the car, go into restaurants, I’m always taking pictures or staring in admiration, it calms me

7. In your opinion, has everyone got a unique interest?

100%. And if they don’t then there is three reasons why.

A) they haven’t found their weird obsession yet

B) they do have one, but they are hiding it, because it’s a little too weird

C) or they genuinely don’t have one – in that case stay the fuck away from them, just keep away.

8. What constitutes a good enough brick to be photographed?

A lot of things, but at the same time nothing really. If the brick in question is that WOW, then I don’t care how the picture comes out as long as I get one. Other pictures I usually like to have just the wall in the picture – but if the surroundings add to the story of the bricks then I’ll capture that too. I love plants too so when that’s naturally incorporated into a Brick wall, I try my best to capture that too.

9. Can you name different types of bricks?

Hahaha I’m not an expert on bricks I’m just a lover of them. But yeah you have Soft mud Bricks, Facing Bricks, Engineering Bricks and you have the different colours Red, Yellow, Blue and White for example – but you know I’m no expert.

10. What are shit bricks? If any?

New Red Ones – they are THE worst, honestly what the fuck? They’re crap, ugly, boring, generic, a tragedy to architecture, lame, shit, so fucking ugly, uh did I say boring? In 20 years-time THAT’S when they become worthy of my attention. When they’ve grown.

11. Would you call yourself a brick connoisseur?

A connoisseur?! Oh, stop it. Maybe **raises glass**

12. Do you have a collection of bricks?

Not yet – my mum won’t let me, I only have a collection of Rocks but when I move out though oh my god, bricks everywhere some for decorative purposes, some for functional and some for self-defence J - I’m so excited

13. Does your interest cause a problem for friendships or your life?

No it actually relieves me of any issues, because whenever I’m faced with someone who learns of my passion for Bricks and their response is negative – then that person instantly becomes irrelevant to me, it’s a bit dramatic but its worked out so far because they’ve all been shitty people . My friends actually like it, sometimes they send me pictures of bricks they come across or help me take photos, it’s nice.

14. What is the next step in this obsession?

Having my own place with an exposed brick wall- it’s a small dream – but in this economy I might as well wish for the moon haha. But having a nice collection of bricks in my own place would be nice and seeing more across the world so I can add to my photo collection is all I want.