45 + 100 points
The Archive of _____ by Dr. Subtle, Beta Orionis
July 2nd, 2008 6:23 PM / Location: 40.435776,-79.92253The Forgotten!
Beta Orionis reports:
On June 1st, the day that I returned to Pittsburgh, Dr Subtle presented me with a gift: a lovely, translucent, fibrous, broken tower of mystery, featured and adorned below. It actually turned out to be a retired Starbucks syrup holder, but it fascinated me far more than the name implies it should have. The good doctor knows that I have a special place in my heart for interesting found objects and shiny things (I often have a tendency to get distracted and stop suddenly on walks,) and likes to indulge my tendencies sometimes.
I set it up near the window so that photons could make it's spider-silk-y panes sparkle constantly, adorned it with my tiny found object sculpture, and bounded away happily.
the "sculpture" on the tower.
A few days later, walking to lunch, I stopped suddenly and dropped to a crouching position, for at my feet lay this little guy.
He evoked a sort of sad fondness in my heart, and I wondered where his mount and or previous companions could have gotten to, and how he came to be lost in the first place. I carefully pocketed the peru pony, (actually, it's more of a saddlebrown,) and then reproduced him during lunch, allowing him to dine with us.
Later that evening, I placed him in one of the openings of the tower, and his legs were perfectly positioned to hold him in place! There, practically floating and well silhouetted in his static prancing posture, he ushered us into sweet equestrian dreams.
The next afternoon, on the way home from work, I came across a yellow, industrial looking label attached to two black zip ties that must have been cut from a bundle of fiber optic cables, or so the label indicates. I pocketed this too, and that evening, added it to the tower. Stepping back to admire my small collection, I realized that it was becoming just that: a collection, or in our case, an archive! So I decided that I would continue this hobby, rope Dr Subtle into collaborating, and document it for SF0 as The Archive of The Forgotten: a collection of lost, discarded, or intentionally forgotten objects.
so it begins...
Following the directions, we set July 1st as the deadline for the collection's completion. Initially, however, I ignored the "Obsessively" part of the instructions. BUT! Before I realized it, it truly did become an obsession. Initially, I just kept my eyes peeled for interesting trinkets, something I do already, but as the days marched on, I began to develop a one-track mind, forgetting my surroundings and thoroughly scanning the only the ground or surfaces where objects might collect wherever I went. I began to instigate many walks, leave buildings just to look for objects, and constantly remind Dr Subtle to watch for cool things. I was a girl on a mission, and nothing could stop me!
the face of obsession...
One thing that definitely assisted me in our endeavor was my morning job. I am part of a team of students that cleans out the studio spaces and classrooms fall under the domain of Carnegie Mellon's School of Fine Arts. You wouldn't believe what people leave behind in their studios! We, the crew, are directed to toss anything left behind, and allowed to keep anything that catches our eye in the process. Needless to say, old studios became my treasure troves. Some of the things I found there weren't even art! I found a mop and a disk from the first season of Battlestar Galactica on the job. Dr Subtle was also assisted by his job at a local Starbucks, where all kinds of strange objects that might otherwise be dumped were serupticiously pocketed into his apron.Within the Archive as a whole, one could even say there exists a smaller Archive of Abandoned Artwork in different media. There's a painting, sketches, ceramics, a metal sculpture and even some video footage- although, unfortunately, the DVD is unreadable :( . There's also enough paper pieces/writing snippets to constitute another archive, including a postcard from Turkey, some notes, and a check that was processed in October of 1996! Most of what I found on walks were bits of metal and tiny, smoothly rounded rocks that will eventually become runes, but we did find some other things, like the arm of a pair of glasses, a piece of bling affectionately known as The Spinnin' Rims, a bit of Film featuring John Travolta (the first of the three panels has an Umbrella that says "be cool",) and a piece of pottery that Dr Subtle picked up which never fails to fill me with the desirve to nibble... (it looks like it's covered with seeds!)
I wanna munchmunchmunch you...
spinnin' rims
John Travolta
The whole archive is made up of 49 objects (including the mop, which is not pictured, and counting Chris' sketches as one batch) and if you're interested in seeing them all, they are all individually documented and available at the bottom for your viewing pleasure.
I did attempt to document when which objects were found and by whom, but I only got as far as...
--
Found Object Archive:
Beginning June 1st, 2008 and Ending July 1st, 2008.
Tower: Dr Subtle, Starbucks, Syrup platform, June 1st.
Print/3D glasses: CFA studios, June 2nd.
Plastic Horse: Murray, on the way to Lunch June 3rd.
Co2/Nozzle: Starbucks, Dr Subtle, June 4rth evening
Fiber Optic cable label: Forbes, walking with Dr Subtle, June 6th.
Copper Nail: CFA studios(work), June 9th.
Wire/Metal tag/Glasses/Metal rounded/Metal with slot: Adventure 6-10-2008 w/Dr Subtle.
--
Then I just became obsessed with collecting and forgot about the documenting.
Now that we're done collecting, I just don't know what to do with the archive. I guess I'll mount some of the paper things in a safer place, like a big sketch book. Maybe turn some of the metal things into a little sculpture, and I think I'll send the first season of BSG to my little brother. I'm also definitely contacting Chris about the possessions of his that I found, but I'd be glad to keep them if he doesn't want them, because I'm a creeper and love tidbits about the lives of others. :) The rest of the objects will probably remain where they are. I'll probably employ the demon to disturb my apartment mates. Maybe I'll just keep collecting? But I'll have to keep it within reason. Our room can only hold so much awesome. (and by awesome I mean the clutter that is the byproduct of my obsessive, bower-bird-like tendency.) Towards the end of the month, the found objects were getting progressively bigger, too big to fit inside the tower vault. I dunno.
Any Suggestions?
20 vote(s)
5
Julian Muffinbot
5Dela Dejavoo
5susy derkins
5Voo
5Jellybean of Thark
5Myrna Minx
5Tac Haberdash
5done
5Loki
5Lincøln
5Super Mean
5JJason Recognition
5Rainy
5JTony Loves Brains
5Adam
5GYØ Ben
5Not Here No More
5Sparrows Fall
5help im a bear
5Tricia Tanaka
Terms
(none yet)15 comment(s)
posted by Beta Orionis on July 2nd, 2008 6:43 PM
I know exactly how you feel! I feel really fortunate to have found so many interesting things. We weren't even really selective. Granted, I was discerning when cleaning out studios, but on walks, we just picked up anything we found and discarded only trash. Thanks for the vote. Glad you liked the pieces as much as I did! :)
posted by susy derkins on July 2nd, 2008 7:17 PM
The tiny structure that one could mistake for a wasp nest! And all things copper.
This set would be a nice challenge for practicing non-attachment, not easy... :)
posted by Voo on July 2nd, 2008 8:02 PM
Vote for this being an incredible praxis. "Kudos" doesn't cover it.
posted by Jellybean of Thark on July 2nd, 2008 8:39 PM
A fine collection of things.
Those 3-D Glasses are lovely. Simple white card stock.
posted by Dr. Subtle on July 2nd, 2008 9:38 PM
Beta is a fine photographer. I asked her once why she took such good pictures, as compared to mine.
"When did you start using a camera?" she asked
"I started using a camera freshman year of college, maybe a year before that?"
"Ah," she said. "I started using a camera when I could hold one."
posted by Tac Haberdash on July 3rd, 2008 2:18 AM
An intersection of excellent photography, a keen eye, and wonderful serendipity. You did a great job of tying together a group of things that would never otherwise be related.
posted by Rainy on July 3rd, 2008 9:50 AM
Awesome--as another collector of interesting (and sparkly) things found wherever, I love this!
i love every one of your forgotten things. i kept thinking "this one is my favorite! no wait, THIS one is my favorite!"