URBAN { COLLECTION

Huh? What is this.

This site is a collection of personal objects, gathered for exhibition on line. I'm hoping that this act of posting, and individual storytelling, makes these objects much more than just products of mass production. By browsing the archive, you can view this collection by both date and category. Enjoy. And feel free to tell me what you think.

Why did you build this site?

I'm not sure exactly what drove this idea, other than a series of events that inspired me to catalogue a lifetime of possessions. Of course, everything must have some restraints, so I made a decision to only exhibit artifacts that made the cut, based on scale. Anything larger than five inches was disqualified. I have always been an obscure collector, my most unusual being an assortment of close to two hundred pencil erasers. I am also extremely sentimental, and struggle to discard anything that evokes memories of days gone by. With the help of colleagues at ninedots, my olympus camera and precious time spent at the computer during my babies nap time, this site became a true passion and obsession.

What else do you collect.

Well, aside from the eraser collection, I also am the proud owner of a vintage cookie tin collection, a primitive art collection (Mexican and South African), and a collection of bad habits and neurotic behaviours. My nephews are following the family trend with their collection of beer caps and sticks, and my husband has adorned the walls with over fifty of his collected license plates.

What do you plan to do, now that "my urban dig" has launched?

My plan is to continue documenting all of the belongings that I have collected and stored away, including my entire eraser collection. I'm hoping to post at least one new object per day. And at the same time, expand my collection off line.

Are you obsessive compulsive?

Yes.

Found objects, in typography.

Paul Elliman is one of the finest examples of a designer's exploration of found objects, to create a unique typeface. Bits, the typeface, is a masterful collection of waste matter, reduced to it's simplest form. From paper clips, to discarded bottle caps, the combination is a modern set of letter forms that has appropriately been displayed on the cover of magazines, Lost and Found and Everything.

Found objects, in sculpture installation.

One of my earliest exposures to sculpture installation was at the 1991 Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, PA. It was that year that I was captivated by the art of found object artists, Christian Boltanski and Ilya Kabakov.

Christian Boltanski's use of oversized photographs collected from newspapers, creates unsettling environments. Dimmed lighting, in combination with these blurred faces, evokes collective memories of distant wars, anonymous victims of a mass fate. In his earlier work, the French artist created inventories of utilitarian objects belonging to nameless people, displaying them as one would priceless artifacts in a museum. It is this act of preservation that instills these possessions with a precious quality.

It was in 1991 that Ilya Kabakov installed We are Leaving here forever. In the semi-dark, the artist displays a library of artifacts: all that remained of the previous inhabitants of an abandoned orphanage. These items, preserved in plastic and labelled, were attached to what resembled row after row of clothing lines. Wether these possessions truly originated from such a place, or wether they were random findings, displayed to create an atmosphere, they are the essence of a story, that the artist and the viewr, are unfolding.

Found objects, in every day life.

We are surrounded by art. It all depends on how you look at it. What may be a crumpled and discarded wrapper to someone, may be a subtle blend of colours and textures to someone else. What is simply garbage, can tell a unique and endless story, depending on it's context and surroundings. All you need to do is open your eyes, and your mind. If others can do it, what's stopping you.

I challenge you to join the club!!

Create your own catalogue of found objects, and post them online. Drop me a line, and I'll make sure your link is posted with the other fine found object sites.