Found

I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the notion of found objects; those under appreciated gems lying right under our noses that, when recontextualized in a meaningful way, take on a specific type of beauty. From the inspiration of seeing the creative minds at Droog Design, to the dogged pursuit of sublime writings collected in my perennial favourite, Found Magazine, I  have learned to instinctively look for these repurposed objects, or items that are tossed away but seem to somehow stand alone as relevant aesthetic pieces.

A desert road trip is always a fantastic way to discover the “found”. People who gravitate towards the harsh and relatively untamed parts of the desert Southwest seem to have an innate appreciation for collecting and displaying ordinary objects in interesting ways.

There are many examples of people leaving their lives behind to seek in the desert the aesthetic of the “found”. Case in point is Noah Purifoy, someone whose work I have featured numerous times on this blog. Noah left Los Angeles to specifically isolate himself in the open palette that is the desert, and spent over a decade collecting left over debris for the purpose of reassembly and sculptural collage that is impressive in its scope and ambition.

With the aesthetic of “found” even the most horrid of avocado green sofas take on a new life. With “found” almost anything can be made to be beautiful.