Found Items and Art

When is something old new again?

What exactly does it mean when one man's trash is another's treasure?

Over time it seems that something once thought old and obsolete is suddenly new again. Whether it be an elevator door such as the picture above, or pool balls turned into home decor, the second life of a product can often be more fascinating and creative than the first.

The term "found object" often refers to smaller objects found by chance which captures the imagination of the 'finder' therefore giving the object a second life. such an object can stand alone or form the basis for a collection such as a collection of bottle caps, or walls littered with old license plates. Going into several 'theme' restaurants such as Applebee's the walls have been adorned with thousands of found object

s.

So what makes these found objects so appealing?

Often it's the feeling that these objects appear in a 'lucky' occurrence or the sense that "its a free gift from the world."

Much of the college age crowd has at least one item that at one point or another served another purpose. This is largely due to the lack of funds said college students seem to have. As a result much of the younger crowd has been forced to be more creative in terms of home decor.

Other people have taken the found item phenomenon to other extremes. This past June, a North Carolina man was arrested for creating a statue from three road blocking barrels. Cutting and screwing the pieces together Joseph Carnevale, 21 sealed his fate later being charged with misdemeanor larceny causing reportedly $360 in damages. Perhaps the ultimate in found object art, this most likely will be more present in the coming years.